August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party Leadership Election
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The August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fifth internal party election to elect the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives, part of the
British Conservative Party The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...
and the second-largest political party in the devolved
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
. Douglas Ross was announced as Leader on 5 August 2020 after running unopposed.


Background

On 30 July 2020, Jackson Carlaw resigned as leader of the Scottish Conservatives after he said that he wasn't the right person to lead Scotland's voice in the union. At the time, support for Scottish independence was rising and the SNP had a substantial lead in the polls ahead of the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections in 2021. The previous leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, agreed to represent the party at First Minister's Questions until a replacement leader was chosen, and until the
2021 Scottish Parliament election The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 May 2021, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament were elected in the sixth election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. The ele ...
if the new leader was not a current MSP, at which point she would stand down to take up her seat in the House of Lords.


Campaign

Douglas Ross, the Member of Parliament (MP) for
Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...
confirmed his intention to run for the leadership on 31 July. He was immediately endorsed by Ruth Davidson, a former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, and the former Scottish Secretary David Mundell. Ross also said he intended to stand as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) on the Highlands and Islands regional list if elected, while continuing to represent Moray in Westminster. Carlaw said that Ross's election should not be contested.


Candidates


Timeline

* 30 July: Jackson Carlaw resigns as leader of the Scottish Conservatives. * 31 July: Douglas Ross declares his intention to stand as leader. * 5 August: Nominations close, Douglas Ross is declared leader as no other candidates declared.


Endorsements


Douglas Ross

MSPs * Jackson Carlaw, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, MSP for Eastwood * Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, MSP for Edinburgh Central * Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for
South Scotland South Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the S ...
* Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow * Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow *
Alison Harris Alison Ada Harris (born 23 July 1965) is a Scottish Conservative Party politician, who served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Central Scotland from 2016 to 2021. Political career Westminster elections Harris stood unsucce ...
, MSP for Central Scotland * Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland * Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for
Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...
* Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire *
John Scott John Scott may refer to: Academics * John Scott (1639–1695), English clergyman and devotional writer * John Witherspoon Scott (1800–1892), American minister, college president, and father of First Lady Caroline Harrison * John Work Scott (180 ...
, MSP for Ayr *
Brian Whittle Brian Ian Whittle (born 26 April 1964) is a Scottish politician and former athlete, who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region), South Scotland region since 2016 Scottish P ...
, MSP for
South Scotland South Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the S ...
* Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland MPs * Andrew Bowie MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine * John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk * David Duguid, MP for Banff and Buchan


See also

*
February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election The February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fourth internal party election to elect the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives, part of the British Conservative Party and the second-largest political party in the ...
*
2021 Scottish Parliament election The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 May 2021, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament were elected in the sixth election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. The ele ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scottish Conservative Party leadership election, 2020 08 Scottish Conservative Party leadership elections 2020 elections in the United Kingdom August 2020 events in the United Kingdom 2020 in Scotland 2020s elections in Scotland Scottish Conservatives leadership election