Ruth Davidson is set to quit as leader of Scottish Conservatives as she juggles the job and the ‘pressure of motherhood’ amid fury over Boris Johnson’s plans to suspend Parliament
- Ruth Davidson is set to stand down as leader of the Scottish Conservatives
- Sources said the new mother found herself ‘increasingly at odds’ with the leadership of Boris Johnson in Westminster
- It comes as the Queen approved Boris Johnson’s request to prorogue Parliament
The leader of the Scottish Conservative Party is set to stand down, it was reported.
Ruth Davidson will announce her resignation on Thursday.
She and her partner had their first child in October and Ms Davidson is believed to be stepping down partly due to pressures of motherhood but also after finding herself ‘increasingly at odds’ with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, sources said.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson speaking to introduce Tory leadership contender Sajid Javid this summer. She will announce her resignation tomorrow, sources said
A senior Conservative source told the Scottish Sun: ‘Ruth’s been talking to senior party figures in the Conservatives for the last few weeks, both in Scotland and down south.
‘She has been under huge pressure as a new mum. Nobody really fully understands how your life is going to change as a parent until it happens. Ruth is no different in this respect.
‘She’s tried to juggle motherhood with being the very high-profile leader of the opposition in Scotland, and it’s taken its toll.
‘All of this has been made more difficult with the current political climate, where she’s found herself at increasing odds with the new leadership in London.
‘The events unfolding at Westminster have not helped.’
Ruth Davidson welcoming Boris Johnson to the Scottish Parliament. The two are not considered ideological fellow-travellers
Ruth Davidson pictured in September when she was eight months pregnant, with her partner Jen Wilson. Sources said the pressure of motherhood has contributed to her decision
Another source claimed that Davidson will step down from the leadership position for two reasons: ‘family and Boris’.
The source went on: ‘Ruth and Jen is under huge strain. And Ruth is in a real hole with Boris – she can’t defend him, it’s toxic and goes against so much of what she’s fought for.’
Davidson has led the Tories in Scotland since November 2011 and is well-respected on both sides of the border. It is unclear who could replace her a leader of the party.
She backed Boris Johnson’s rivals in the Tory leadership race, and said she would she would ‘judge his premiership by his actions in office’ after Johnson took the top positon.