February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election
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The February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fourth 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 is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
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 ...
.
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 ...
, who won the previous leadership election in 2011, resigned on 29 August 2019. Two candidates contested the election:
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 ...
MSP (
Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The ad ...
), who served as the Scottish Conservatives' interim leader, and
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. Carlaw was seen as the favourite in the contest, and won the endorsement of most of the party's MSPs and MPs (
Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
). Carlaw won the election on 14 February 2020, winning more than three-quarters of the votes of party members. The leadership election was expected to take place in late 2019, but was delayed due to the 2019 United Kingdom general election. Carlaw represented the Conservatives in the two Scottish televised debates during the election campaign.


Background

On 28 August 2019, the ''Scottish Sun'' reported that Ruth Davidson was 'on the verge of resigning' due to disagreements with the leader of the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
, and the pressure with motherhood after giving birth to her first child in October 2018. On the next day, Ruth Davidson confirmed her resignation and said she would remain as an MSP until 2021. At the same time, the deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives,
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 ...
, who previously stood in for Davidson during her maternity leave, was announced as the interim leader of the party ahead of the leadership election. On 1 September,
Adam Tomkins Adam Tomkins (born 28 June 1969) is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament ...
proposed that if he was ever to stand and be elected as leader, he might propose a new party to replace the Scottish Conservatives to create a pro-union alliance party made up of Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats MSPs. However, he said that if Murdo Fraser stood, he wouldn't. '' The Herald'' reported that a permanent leader might not be in office until 2020, citing divisions on Brexit and the possibility of an early UK general election. The UK Parliament subsequently legislated for a
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
to be held on 12 December 2019, which delayed the Scottish Conservative leadership election until early 2020. Carlaw served as interim leader during the election campaign, and represented the party during both of the Scottish television debates. In the 2019 general election the Conservatives won six seats in Scotland, losing seven of the 13 they had won in 2017. This loss in Scotland contrasted with a strong performance in England and Wales, which meant that the party won an overall majority of 80. There was a growing feeling that following what had been a surprisingly good result for the Conservative Party, Jackson Carlaw would be elected leader with no opposition. Many senior Conservatives felt that with Holyrood elections coming up it would be better to avoid a contest and focus on uniting against the SNP.


Candidates


Declined

* Miles Briggs, health spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
Liam Kerr Liam Kerr (born 23 January 1975) is a British politician of the Scottish Conservative Party, who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2019 to 2020 and as the Scottish Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Jus ...
, deputy leader and justice spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
Murdo Fraser Murdo MacKenzie Fraser (born 5 September 1965) is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2005 to 2011. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife reg ...
, finance spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) * Dean Lockhart, economy spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) * Liz Smith, education spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
Adam Tomkins Adam Tomkins (born 28 June 1969) is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament ...
, constitutional spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
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 (endorsed Carlaw) *
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 ...
, equalities spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
Donald Cameron Donald Cameron may refer to: Scottish Clan Cameron * Donald Cameron of Lochiel (c. 1695 or 1700–1748), 19th Chief, and his descendants: ** Donald Cameron, 22nd Lochiel (1769–1832), 22nd Chief ** Donald Cameron of Lochiel (1835–1905), Scott ...
,
rural economy Rural economics is the study of rural economies. Rural economies include both agricultural and non-agricultural industries, so rural economics has broader concerns than agricultural economics which focus more on food systems. Rural developmen ...
spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
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 previo ...
, chief whip (endorsed Carlaw) *
Jamie Greene Jamie Gillan Greene (born 19 March 1980) is a Scottish politician who is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Scotland region from 2016. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he has served as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Ju ...
, transport spokesperson (endorsed Carlaw) *
Alister Jack Alister William Jack (born 7 July 1963) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Scotland since 2019. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dumfries and Galloway since 2017. Ear ...
, Secretary of State for Scotland (to remain neutral) * Douglas Ross,
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
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 ...
(endorsed Carlaw)


Campaign

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 ...
announced her candidacy and was soon followed by Jackson Carlaw. Carlaw gained support from all his frontbenchers and many of his backbenchers plus former backbencher and former MP
Ross Thomson Ross Thomson (born 21 September 1987) is a former Scottish Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen South from June 2017 to November 2019. Thomson was the first Conservative MP elected for Aberdeen South ...
. Jackson Carlaw launched his campaign on 15 January 2020, focusing on the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections in 2021 and the next council elections in 2022, Jackson Carlaw built his campaign on wanting to spend the next eighteen months leading up to the elections at the Scottish Parliament to take down Nicola Sturgeon and the
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
in the process. Carlaw nominated Euan Waddell as his campaign manager, with MSPs Rachael Hamilton MSP and Liam Kerr MSP being co-chairs of his campaign. The first hustings of the campaign took place in
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 popul ...
on 24 January 2020.


Hustings


Result


Endorsements


Jackson Carlaw

* Miles Briggs, health spokesperson *
Murdo Fraser Murdo MacKenzie Fraser (born 5 September 1965) is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2005 to 2011. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife reg ...
, finance spokesperson *
Rachael Hamilton Rachael Georgina Hamilton (born 1970) is a Scottish Conservative Party politician, who has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire since 2017. Hamilton has served as the Conservative Shad ...
, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire *
Liam Kerr Liam Kerr (born 23 January 1975) is a British politician of the Scottish Conservative Party, who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2019 to 2020 and as the Scottish Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Jus ...
, deputy leader and justice spokesperson * Dean Lockhart, economy spokesperson * Liz Smith, education spokesperson *
Adam Tomkins Adam Tomkins (born 28 June 1969) is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament ...
, constitutional spokesperson *
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 *
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 previo ...
, MSP for West Scotland * Andrew Bowie, MP For West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine *
Donald Cameron Donald Cameron may refer to: Scottish Clan Cameron * Donald Cameron of Lochiel (c. 1695 or 1700–1748), 19th Chief, and his descendants: ** Donald Cameron, 22nd Lochiel (1769–1832), 22nd Chief ** Donald Cameron of Lochiel (1835–1905), Scott ...
, MSP for Highlands and Islands *
Finlay Carson Finlay Hamilton Carson (born 18 October 1967) is a Scottish Conservative Party politician serving as Convener of the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee since 2021. He has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) f ...
, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries * Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland * Ian Duncan, Former MEP, Member of the House of Lords and UK Government Minister Climate Change and Northern Ireland


Michelle Ballantyne

*
Ross Thomson Ross Thomson (born 21 September 1987) is a former Scottish Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen South from June 2017 to November 2019. Thomson was the first Conservative MP elected for Aberdeen South ...
, Former Conservative MP


Timeline of events


2019

* 29 August –
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 ...
announces her resignation as Scottish Conservative leader *1 September –
Adam Tomkins Adam Tomkins (born 28 June 1969) is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament ...
states that he would not stand for leadership if
Murdo Fraser Murdo MacKenzie Fraser (born 5 September 1965) is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2005 to 2011. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife reg ...
stands *8 September – A new campaign, ''Scottish Conservatives Together'', is set up in response to oppose an independent Scottish Conservative party. The campaign has hinted the possibility of
Murdo Fraser Murdo MacKenzie Fraser (born 5 September 1965) is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2005 to 2011. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife reg ...
or
Adam Tomkins Adam Tomkins (born 28 June 1969) is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament ...
running for leader as they have advocated for a split in the party *14 October – The Scottish Conservatives begin the process of selecting a permanent leader *12 December – The Scottish Conservatives stand in the 2019 general election under the leadership of Jackson Carlaw with the election resulting in the party losing seven out of the thirteen seats won in the 2017 election under the leadership of Ruth Davidson


2020

*3 January –
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 ...
announces that she will be a candidate in the contest if she obtains the 100 nominations required. *5 January –
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 ...
publishes an article in the Sunday Times appearing to suggest his intention to run for leadership. *5 January –
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 ...
rules out running for leader *6 January –
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 ...
officially announces his intention to run for leadership of the party *14 January –
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 ...
is confirmed as a candidate after reaching the required 100 nominations *15 January –
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 ...
launches his campaign at Dynamic Earth in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
*17 January – Nominations close. The Scottish Conservatives reveal that the leader will be announced on 14 February. Both
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 ...
and
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 ...
received enough nominations to pass through to the voting round *20 January –
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 ...
launches her campaign with an emphasis of winning over the working-class voters *24 January – First
husting A husting originally referred to a native Germanic governing assembly, the thing. By metonymy, the term may now refer to any event (such as debates or speeches) during an election campaign where one or more of the candidates are present. Deve ...
s for the election take place in
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 popul ...
*25 January – Second husting for the election takes place in
Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...
*26 January – Third and fourth hustings for the election take place in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
and
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
*1 February – Fifth husting for the election takes place in
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
*1 February – Ballot open up until 13 February, the day before the leadership election ends *2 February – Sixth and final husting takes place in
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
*14 February –
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 ...
wins election and defeats
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 ...
by 4,917 votes to 1,581 votes.


Subsequent events

On 30 July 2020, Carlaw announced his resignation as leader of the Scottish Conservatives with immediate effect, saying it had become clear to him he was not the best person to make the case for Scotland remaining part of the United Kingdom. Carlaw had represented the Conservatives at the week's First Minister's Questions in the
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 ...
shortly before announcing his resignation.


See also

*
August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election 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 and the second-largest political party in the de ...
* 2019 Conservative Party leadership election * 2019 United Kingdom general election


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scottish Conservative Party Leadership Election, 2020 02 2020 in Scotland 2020 elections in the United Kingdom
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
February 2020 events in the United Kingdom 2020s elections in Scotland Scottish Conservatives leadership election