Ruth Davidson

Actor

BIOGRAPHY

Ruth Elizabeth Davidson (born 10 November 1978) is a Scottish politician serving as Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament since 2020. She served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 2011, first as an additional member for the Glasgow region and later for the Edinburgh Central constituency since 2016. Born in Edinburgh, Davidson was raised in Selkirk and later attended Buckhaven High School in Fife. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, she worked as a BBC journalist and served in the Territorial Army as a signaller. After leaving the BBC in 2009 to study at the University of Glasgow, she joined the Conservative Party. She was the party's candidate in the Glasgow North East constituency at a 2009 by-election and at the 2010 general election, finishing in third then fourth place, on each occasion with approximately 5% of the vote. At the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Davidson stood in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency, where she finished fourth, and on the Glasgow regional list, from which she was elected. Following party leader Annabel Goldie's resignation in May 2011, Davidson stood in the subsequent leadership election. She won the contest and was declared party leader on 4 November 2011. In 2016, the Conservatives replaced the Labour Party as the second-largest party in the Scottish Parliament. As Scottish Conservative leader, she was considered by some to be a potential candidate for leadership of the British Conservative Party although ruled herself out of running for the position. Davidson resigned the leadership in August 2019, shortly after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was succeeded by her deputy leader of eight years, Jackson Carlaw. After Carlaw resigned in July 2020, she nominated Douglas Ross to succeed him. Ross became leader after running unopposed. Since he serves in the British House of Commons and is not an MSP, Davidson will lead the party in Holyrood. After the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Davidson will become Baroness Davidson and enter the House of Lords.

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