Section:GDN 1N PaGe:6 Edition Date:190830 Edition:03 Zone: Sent at 30/8/2019 0:10 cYanmaGentaYellowbla
••• The Guardian Friday 30 Aug ust 2019(^6) National
Politics
Brexit and family
cited as Davidson
quits as leader of
Scotland’s Tories
Libby Brooks
Scotland correspondent
Ruth Davidson has quit as leader of
the Scottish Conservatives, citing both
the confl ict she feels over Brexit and
her desire to achieve a better balance
between her working and family life.
Davidson told a press conference
in Edinburgh she had made the deci-
sion with a heavy heart , and described
leading the party since November 2011
as “the privilege of my life”.
The loss of the Scottish Conserv-
atives’ most successful leader since
devolution from front line politics will
be a considerable blow, not only to the
party but also to the pro-union cause.
Davidson, 40, who gave birth to her
fi rst child last October, confi rmed she
would continue as MSP for Edinburgh
Central until 2021, but said “the threat
of spending hundreds of hours away
from my home and family [to fi ght
another election] now fi lls me with
dread. That is no way to lead.”
She added: “You all know and I have
never sought to hide the confl ict I have
felt over Brexit. Despite that confl ict,
I have attempted to chart a course
for our party which recognises and
respects the referendum result.”
While Davidson has been open
about her concerns regarding Boris
Johnson’s leadership, yesterday she
backed his decision to prorogue par-
liament , insisting she believed he was
trying to secure a deal with the EU.
Explaining that her work had always
come fi rst over the past eight years,
often at the expense of her personal
life, she said: “The arrival of my son
means I now make a diff erent choice.”
Her spokesperson said she been
planning her exit before Johnson
announced parliament’s suspension.
There were tributes from across
the political spectrum. Nicola Stur-
geon, Scotland’s fi rst minister and
SNP leader, wished her well for the
future, and the leader of the Liberal
Democrats, Jo Swinson, commended
her “kick-ass approach”. Former
prime minister Theresa May tweeted :
“Thank you for all you’ve done for our
party and our union over the last eight
years, and enjoy your well-deserved
family time with Jen [Davidson’s
partner] and Finn [their son].”
Johnson thanked Davidson for her
“wonderful service”, describing her
as “instrumental in the revival of our
electoral fortunes in Scotland” and
added: “She should take immeas-
urable pride in the pivotal role she
played during the Scottish independ-
ence referendum campaign, where her
passionate support for our union was
crucial to the result.”
Davidson’s close friend David Mun-
dell , whose sacking by Johnson from
his role as Scottish secretary against
her advice reportedly made her “livid”,
tweeted : “I understand and respect
Ruth’s decision to stand down for per-
sonal reasons. I will miss her greatly.
As leader she transformed the Scottish
Tories’ fortunes and was a passionate
voice for the union. Our politics needs
more authentic voices like Ruth’s and
I hope that can be her legacy.”
Adam Tomkins , Davidson’s ally ,
who has been tipped as a possible suc-
cessor, said: “Ruth has been my boss
for the past three years, but fi rst and
foremost she is my friend. She was the
reason I joined the Tory party and why
a lot of people voted Tory. But she is
absolutely right to put family fi rst. The
toll that political leadership takes on
family life is extraordinary.”
Davidson, tipped as a future PM
until she ruled it out last year, also
said her party’s electoral successes had
paled in signifi cance compared with
the role it had played in the campaign
to keep Scotland in the UK.
The fi rst openly lesbian leader of
any UK party , she is credited with
transforming Scottish Tories’ fortunes.
After winning the party leadership
in 2011, at the age of 32 and months
after fi rst be coming an MSP, Davidson
set about a comprehensive remod-
elling of the party, subtly changing
policy emphasis and bringing in tal-
ented individuals who did not fi t the
traditional Conservative mould.
At the 2016 Scottish parliament
elections, the party pushed Labour
into third place. And in 2017’s general
election , 13 Scottish Tory MPs were
elected , helping keep May in No 10.
Davidson, a prominent remain cam-
paigner , issued a defi ant challenge on
the eve of Johnson’s fi rst visit to Scot-
land as PM, saying she would refuse
to back a no-deal Brexit.
The party has appointed Jackson
Carlaw as interim leader pending an
election for the post, the Scottish Con-
servatives said last night. The MSP was
Davidson’s deputy and was interim
leader during her maternity leave.
Sketch
John Crace
Amid the Tory hypocrites and
chancers, a conscience stirred.
She had, in the end, done her best
P
rinciples and the Tory
party in Westminster
have now reached the
point of irretrievable
breakdown and are
beyond the help of
couples counselling. “Door Matt”
Hancock has happily betrayed the
D- day war dead. They had it coming.
Amber Rudd has taken a vow of
silence. Michael Gove, Sajid Javid,
Nicky Morgan and Andrea Leadsom
have all suff ered sudden onset
amnesia. Jacob Rees-Mogg has taken
hypocrisy to breathtaking levels by
saying prorogation was necessary
because parliament had blocked
Brexit. After he had twice voted
against Theresa May’s deal. Still,his chum had done very well out of
shorting the pound.
But up in Edinburgh there was
more than a hint of conscience as
Ruth Davidson resigned as leader of
the Scottish Conservatives. Trying,
though not always managing,
to keep her emotions in check,
Davidson explained her departure in
a brief 10-minute press conference.
Politics had taken a huge toll on
her personal life over the last eight
years. She had been a bad daughter,
partner and friend. And now she
had a baby son, enough was enough.
The implication being that it was a
shame Boris Johnson’s family had
unilaterally decided it didn’t want to
spend more time with him.Not that his name was ever
mentioned in her opening statement.
Rather she let her obvious contempt
leak out as a stream of consciousness
sub-text. She was proud of what she
had achieved both in the Scottish
independence referendum and in
getting 13 Tory MPs elected in 2017.
But that was now all as good as
trashed. First by David Cameron’s
recklessness in calling the EU
referendum and now by Johnson’s
enthusiasm for a no-deal Brexit. The
union was in greater danger than
at any time and the Scottish Tories
would be wiped out in a general
election. Thanks for nothing, chaps.
Davidson had done her best to
mitigate the eff ects of Brexit – she
hoped that the Scottish fi shing and
whisky industries would more or
less survive – but right now she
could no longer guarantee their
protection in the face of a no-deal
Brexit and credible threats of a
general election from opponents.
And the biggest opponent of all was
Boris. Because no one was doing
more to make sure an early election
took place than him.
There were no warm words for
the prime minister. None of the
usual banalities about the country’s
future being in safe hands. Because
it so obviously wasn’t. And even
though she’d told a fair few porkies▲ Adam Tomkins, a Davidson ally,
is tipped as her possible successorRELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws