RUTH Davidson has switched her support in the Tory leadership race to Michael Gove after her preferred candidate was eliminated.
The Scottish Tory leader threw her weight behind the Environment Secretary after Home Secretary Sajid Javid came fourth in the latest round of ballots.
She said Mr Gove would “do the best job for Scotland”.
Now that Saj is out of the race, I've been asked who my preferred candidate for UK party leader - and therefore PM - is. Solidarity with my Scottish compatriot, @michaelgove . Smart, articulate and always on top of the detail. https://t.co/X2V2f36iHs
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonMSP) June 20, 2019
The SNP said "the curse of Ruth Davidson" had struck again.
READ MORE: SNP minister: Post-Brexit Scottish visa system could emulate freedom of movement
It is the second time Ms Davidson has chosen a candidate other than Boris Johnson, who she has shown little enthusiasm for in the past.
Mr Gove came a surprise second, leapfrogging Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, with Mr Johnson securely established as the most popular choice among MPs.
She told STV she was “very sad” that Mr Javid was out of the race, and that he had enhanced his reputation during the contest.
She said: “I don’t have a vote in the next round, but if I was to have a look at the three candidates that are left and say who I would back as the next Prime Minister, I would support Michael Gove.
“I think his experience in Scotland, the knowledge that he brings to some of the key areas as we move forward through Brexit - Scottish fishing, farming - can really play a role in helping communities here.”
When it was put to her that she was backing “anyone but Boris Johnson”, she said: “Well, no, I’ve backed Sajid right the way through this campaign.
“I’m very sad that he went out today. I wanted him to go all the way, become the first ethnic minority Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“Apart from his ethnic background, I wanted it because he has a background leading four government departments, that he had worked himself up from poverty to successful businessman, and had transferred to public service.
“He’s no longer in the race, so therefore who is it that I think can do the best job for Scotland, and I think the Scot Michael Gove is that person of the final three.”
She did not mention Mr Johnson by name.
160m of EU funding they are entitled to.
SNP MSP George Adam said: “The curse of Ruth Davidson strikes again. She’s now got some run of form in backing the loser.
“Ruth Davidson hitched her wagon to Sajid Javid’s doomed campaign and, embarrassingly, couldn’t get a single one of her MPs to support him.
“Two weeks ago she took a daytrip to the Peterborough by-election and, true to form, helped rubber stamp another Tory defeat.
“Now that she’s backing Gove, even if he beats Jeremy Hunt, Boris Johnson’s odds will go even higher.
“Ruth Davidson used to be seen as a major figure in the Tory party. Now she’s become a complete irrelevance.
“A hardliner whose lies she once called out is about to become her new boss, and the next Prime Minister. That will be an unmitigated disaster for all of us.”
Around half the 13 Scottish Tory MPs also support Mr Gove, who got 61 votes to Mr Hunt’s 59.
Mr Johnson had 157 votes, Mr Javid 34, and there were two spoiled ballots.
Mr Gove and Mr Hunt will now vye for second place in the last round of MP votes later today.
However, wins will go through five weeks of hustings with Mr Johnson to let Conservative party members choose their next leader and the UK’s Prime Minister.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel