The August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fifth internal party election to elect the next leader of the

Scottish Conservatives The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

, 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 Holyr ...

. Douglas Ross was announced as Leader on 5 August 2020 after running unopposed.

Background

On 30 July 2020,

Jackson Carlaw David Jackson Carlaw (born 12 April 1959) is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2019 to 2020. He previously served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019. He has b ...

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 Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links (born 10 November 1978), is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish ...

, 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 e ...

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 (council area), ...

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 The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

David Mundell David Gordon Mundell, (born 27 May 1962) is a Scottish politician and solicitor who served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Scottish Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Du ...

. Ross also said he intended to stand as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) on the

Highlands and Islands The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles). The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1 ...

regional list if elected, while continuing to represent Moray in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. Carlaw said that Ross's election should not be contested.

Candidates

Timeline

* 30 July:

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 *

, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, MSP for

Eastwood Eastwood may refer to: Places ;in Australia *Eastwood, New South Wales **Eastwood railway station ** Electoral district of Eastwood *Eastwood, South Australia ;in Canada * Eastwood, Ontario *Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood ;in the P ...

, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, MSP for Edinburgh Central *

Michelle Ballantyne Michelle Lorraine Ballantyne (' Cross; born 28 November 1962) is a British politician and former nurse who served as Leader of Reform UK Scotland from January 2021 to February 2022. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Sou ...

, 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 ...

* Adam Tomkins, MSP for

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Annie Wells Annie Wells (born March 24, 1954) is an American photographer, winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography. Life She graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in 1981, and studied photojournalism at San Francisco St ...

, MSP for

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 unsu ...

, MSP for Central Scotland *

Maurice Golden Maurice Charles Golden (born 12 January 1980) is a Scottish Conservative politician. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region since the May 2021 Scottish Parliament election, after having previ ...

, MSP for West Scotland *

Gordon Lindhurst Gordon John Lindhurst is a former Scottish Conservative politician and practising advocate. He served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2016 to 2021. Lindhurst has also been called as a barrister in Englan ...

, 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 Scott ...

Oliver Mundell Oliver Gordon Watson Mundell (born 1 December 1989) is a Scottish politician of the Scottish Conservative Party. He has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Dumfriesshire constituency since 2016. He served as Shadow Cabine ...

, MSP for

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

* John Scott, MSP for

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

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 region since 2016. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he serves as Shadow Mi ...

, MSP for

Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American novelist and journalist. Mitchell wrote only one novel, published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel '' Gone with the Wind'', for which she wo ...

, MSP for Central Scotland MPs * Andrew Bowie MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine * John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk *

David Duguid David Duguid may refer to: * David Duguid (medium) (1832–1907), Scottish spiritualist medium and cabinet-maker * David Duguid (politician) David James Duguid (born 8 October 1970) is a Scottish Conservative politician who has been the Member ...

, MP for

Banff and Buchan Banff and Buchan is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. It has a population of 35,742 (2001 Census). Fishing and agriculture are important industries, together with associated processing and service activity. Banff and Bucha ...

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

Background

Campaign

Candidates

Timeline

Endorsements

Douglas Ross

See also

References