Former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, will take on the position of the party’s leader in Holyrood, according to an announcement made late on Tuesday.
Davidson, who resigned from her post this time last year in part in protest at the election of Boris Johnson, also attributed her decision to her desire to spend more time with her son.
Douglas Ross, the newly elected leader of the Scottish Tories, has provided Davidson with the title of leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP group. Ross was “crowned leader in a bloodless coup” less than a week after his predecessor Jackson Carlaw stepped down.
The first minister’s handling of the covid crisis has seen support for the SNP surge, in part the reason for Davidson’s return to Holyrood. At present, support for Scottish Independence is at 54 per cent. Ross is currently without a formal position in Holyrood and stepped down from his position in Westminster in protest at Dominic Cumming’s Durham jaunt. The appointment of Davidson in her new post is believed to be a attempt to prove the Scottish Tories are not leaderless at Holyrood.
Davidson has taken over the position from Annie Wells, who is now the party’s shadow cabinet secretary for communities and local government.
An edit made to Davidson’s Wikipedia page, backdates her appointment to 5 August, the day Ross assumed his position as the head of the party. Speculation surrounds Ross’ appointment, with Davidson seen visiting him just days prior to Carlaw’s resignation.
