RUTH Davidson will today present herself as the unifying figure who can heal Scotland’s divisions as she returns to frontline politics to launch her fight for the next Holyrood election.
The Scottish Conservative leader will use her party’s spring conference in Aberdeen to fire the starting gun on the 2021 campaign and attack the SNP’s “chaotic” currency plans.
The gathering, which will use the slogan ‘Scotland Together’, marks Ms Davidson’s return to work after six months on maternity leave following the birth of her son Finn.
She said it would focus on bringing Scotland “back together after a decade of division”, and improvements in health, education and the economy.
Read more: Next PM should continue to block independence referendum, says Ruth Davidson
Ms Davidson will deliver her key speech tomorrow, with Theresa May due to address delegates today.
The Prime Minister will back plans for a new Global Underwater Engineering Hub in Aberdeen bringing together academia and industry.
The aim is to make the UK a leader in subsea robotics, remotely-operated underwater vehicles and maritime support vessels, and help the fossil fuel industry diversity.
Mrs May will say: “Cementing Aberdeen’s place as an energy hub for offshore and renewables, it would bring together areas of excellence in underwater technology under a single commercial vision. It would support industry, generate new skilled jobs and help us in the fight against climate change.”
“The hub would bring areas of excellence in underwater technology together under a single commercial vision – creating jobs, boosting the local economy and cementing Aberdeen’s place as an energy hub for offshore and renewables.”
However the two-day event is likely to be overshadowed by council election results from England today showing heavy Tory losses and pointing to disaster in the European poll.
Mr May also arrives amid a grassroots backlash over delays to Brexit and with a new row over sacking Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson for a security leak.
Ms Davidson is also up against a re-energised SNP following Nicola Sturgeon’s push last week for a second independence referendum.
After backing No in 2014 and Remain in 2016, the Scottish Tory leader said she would “happily never see another constitutional referendum” in her life.
She told STV yesterday: “I think these sort of binary questions on complex issues push people into tribes and are damaging for the body politic and for political discourse in this country.”
She also said the Prime Minister should continue to refuse a Holyrood request for Indyref2, but she was not afraid of a fight if it did happen.
“I’m ready to fight it but I don’t think we should have one,” she said.
Last week SNP conference backed ditching the pound and using a new Scots currency “as soon as practicable” after a Yes vote subject to six tests.
Read more: Ruth Davidson on return to politics: There’s a job for me to do
It was a surprise defeat for the SNP leadership, who had advocated keeping the pound for at least a decade before considering an independent currency.
It was also a gift to Scots Tories trying to focus on independence, not Brexit.
Ms Davidson said: “I’m looking forward to getting back to work and using this conference to fire the starting gun on the run up to the 2021 Scottish elections.
“We believe we can beat the SNP at that election and this conference is our chance to set out how we want to improve Scotland, in government.
“Last week, the SNP spent their entire conference focusing on independence, more constitutional division and a chaotic plan to ditch the pound.
“By contrast, we want to use our conference to talk about how we can deliver for Scotland in the here and now.
“That means focusing on things that matter most – a stronger economy, better educational standards, and improved public services.
“Scotland has now had nearly 10 years of constitutional division.
“A second independence referendum would only mean that we would begin a second decade with the focus on what divides us as a country. It is time for Scotland to move forward, together.
“The party is delighted to bring conference to the north east this year. We are raring to go with plenty of fresh ideas on how to make Scotland a better country for all of us.”
At FMQs, acting Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw asked Ms Sturgeon how dumping the pound was in the best interests of Scotland when less than five years ago she wanted to keep it forever in a UK-wide currency union.
She replied an independent Scotland would use the pound “until such time as the conditions were right to move to a different arrangement”.
Andrew Wilson, author of the SNP’s Growth Commission, said a quick switch to a new currency could slash wages, hike mortgages, and put up prices amid “uncertainty, risk and chaos”.
However he also insisted the problems could be “entirely avoided” under the SNP’s new plan to ditch the pound as soon as practicable. He said the debate on currency was “now done”.
SNP MEP Alyn Smith said Mrs May was a patronising, lame duck Prime Minister who was “running scared of democracy” by blocking new votes on independence and Brexit.
He said: “Theresa May is doing everything in her power to impose Brexit on Scotland - while denying the people a say on their future. That is democratically indefensible, and will prove to be politically unsustainable.”
“This patronising Prime Minister will make a flying visit to Scotland to lecture us on our record –-all while she can’t even run a Cabinet meeting, never mind a country.
“The European elections will be a chance to tell Theresa May exactly what Scotland thinks of this Tory government.”
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