Ruth Davidson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Davidson
of Lundin Links |
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Official portrait, 2016
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| Leader of the Opposition in Scotland | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 11 August 2020 – 5 May 2021 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jackson Carlaw | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Douglas Ross | ||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 2016 – 29 August 2019 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Kezia Dugdale | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jackson Carlaw | ||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 November 2011 – 29 August 2019 |
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| Deputy |
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| UK party leader | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Annabel Goldie | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jackson Carlaw | ||||||||||||||||
| Member of the House of Lords | |||||||||||||||||
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Lord Temporal
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| Life peerage 20 July 2021 |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Ruth Elizabeth Davidson
10 November 1978 Edinburgh, Scotland |
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| Political party | Scottish Conservatives | ||||||||||||||||
| Domestic partner | Jen Wilson | ||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | |||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Territorial Army | ||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 2003–2006 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Signaller | ||||||||||||||||
| Unit | 32 Signal Regiment | ||||||||||||||||
Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links (born 10 November 1978), is a Scottish politician. She has been a member of the House of Lords since 2021. Before that, she led the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019. She was also the Leader of the Scottish Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament from 2020 to 2021.
Davidson served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow from 2011 to 2016. She then represented Edinburgh Central from 2016 to 2021. She also co-hosts a podcast called Electoral Dysfunction on Sky News.
Contents
Early Life and Path to Politics
Ruth Davidson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 10 November 1978. She grew up in Selkirk and later in Fife. Her father played professional football. She went to Buckhaven High School.
Davidson studied English literature at the University of Edinburgh. After university, she worked as a journalist for the Glenrothes Gazette, Kingdom FM, Real Radio, and BBC Scotland. She was a radio journalist, producer, presenter, and reporter.
She also served in the Territorial Army as a signaller for three years. This was from 2003 to 2006. She had to leave after a back injury during training.
Joining the Political World
In 2009, Davidson left the BBC to study at the University of Glasgow. Around this time, she joined the Conservative Party. She was inspired by David Cameron, who was then the leader of the opposition. He encouraged people who had not been involved in politics before to join.
She first ran for a seat in the House of Commons in Glasgow North East in 2009. She finished in third place. From 2010 to 2011, she worked for Annabel Goldie, who was the Scottish Conservative leader at the time. She helped with campaign events for the 2010 general election.
Becoming an MSP
For the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Davidson ran for the Glasgow Kelvin area. She was also placed on the Conservatives' list for the Glasgow region. She was elected as an MSP for the Glasgow region. After the election, she became the Conservative spokesperson for Culture, Europe, and External Relations.
Leading the Scottish Conservative Party
After a difficult election for her party, Annabel Goldie resigned as the Scottish Conservative leader in May 2011. Ruth Davidson decided to run for the leadership position. She was one of four candidates.
She strongly disagreed with one rival, Murdo Fraser, who wanted to separate the Scottish Conservatives from the main UK party. Davidson believed this would cause too many problems. She won the leadership election on 4 November 2011. She received more votes than Murdo Fraser.
Early Years as Leader
At her first conference speech as leader, Davidson introduced a new logo for the Scottish Conservatives. It featured an eight-pointed cross. She said it was "distinctly Scottish" but also showed pride in the United Kingdom.
Her early time as leader was challenging. The party lost seats in the 2012 local elections. However, she started to "modernise" the party. She supported more powers for the Scottish Parliament and same-sex marriage. She also gained attention through social media.
People started to see Davidson in a positive light. A report in 2013 found that many voters liked her. They agreed with some Conservative ideas, even if they didn't usually vote Conservative. The party's support in Scotland slowly increased between 2012 and 2014.
Scottish Independence Referendum
In 2014, Davidson campaigned for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. She believed that Scottish independence could harm the "wonderful messiness of these islands." She was very relieved when the 'No' vote won.
Many people felt that the referendum helped Davidson become a more important figure in Scottish politics. She was good at explaining why Scotland should stay in the UK. She even defended UK policies that were not popular in Scotland.
After the referendum, when Alex Salmond resigned as First Minister of Scotland, Davidson put herself forward to replace him. She knew she wouldn't win, but she wanted to offer a different vision for Scotland. She continued to appeal to voters who had voted 'No' in the referendum.
EU Referendum and Success
Before the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in June 2016, Davidson campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union. She took part in a big debate on the BBC. Many people thought she argued very well for staying in the EU.
Even though Scotland voted to remain, the UK as a whole voted to leave. Davidson said that a second Scottish independence referendum was not the answer. She asked the UK and Scottish Governments to work together for stability.
In the 2016 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, Davidson supported Theresa May to become the new Prime Minister. Davidson was appointed to the Privy Council in July 2016. She also spoke about the importance of welcoming immigrants to the UK.
Big Election Wins
In 2016 and 2017, Ruth Davidson was very popular in Scotland. Many voters saw her as a different kind of Conservative. She positioned her party as strong defenders of the United Kingdom. This helped attract voters who usually supported other parties.
Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. The party doubled its number of seats to 31. They became the second-largest party in the Scottish Parliament, ahead of Labour. Davidson also won her own constituency, Edinburgh Central. She said that many people who voted for her were not traditional Conservative supporters. They wanted the party to hold the Scottish National Party (SNP) accountable.
In the 2017 Scottish local elections, the Scottish Conservatives had their best results since Scotland gained its own Parliament. They won 164 more seats. In the 2017 United Kingdom general election, the Conservatives won 13 seats in Scotland. This was their best result since 1983. Many people linked these successes to Ruth Davidson's popularity. She said that the idea of a second independence referendum was "dead."
Stepping Down as Leader
In early 2018, support for the Scottish Conservatives began to fall slightly. Davidson said she would not run for future leadership roles, valuing her mental health. She also spoke about Brexit, supporting leaving the Common Fisheries Policy.
She went on maternity leave in late 2018 and early 2019. On 29 August 2019, Davidson resigned as leader. She gave both political and personal reasons. Her son had been born less than a year before, and she did not want to be away from her family during election campaigns. She also felt conflicted about the Brexit process.
Later Career and House of Lords
After resigning, Davidson continued to speak out on political issues. She criticized some decisions made by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In July 2020, her successor, Jackson Carlaw, resigned. Davidson supported Douglas Ross to become the new leader. It was also announced that she would become a life peer. This means she would become a member of the House of Lords for life. She agreed to lead the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament until the 2021 election. This was because Douglas Ross had not yet been elected as an MSP.
In July 2021, Davidson officially joined the House of Lords. She became Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links. She has spoken in the House of Lords about issues like troop numbers in the British Army. In January 2022, she announced she would host a weekly radio show on Times Radio. In July 2023, she joined the board of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Views and Policies
Many people describe Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Conservatives under her leadership as being in the "centre ground" of politics. She aimed to build a "moderate Scottish Conservative party." She has been described as a "British patriot" and a supporter of the armed forces.
Devolution and Public Services
Davidson's views on devolution changed over time. Initially, she wanted to stop more powers from going to Scotland. But by 2013, she supported "more responsibility for the Scottish Parliament." She believed it would make the Parliament more accountable.
She has also spoken about public services. In 2017, she criticized the education system in Scotland. She argued that young people should stay in education or training until age 18. She also supported giving judges the power to give very long sentences for serious crimes.
Davidson is a strong supporter of the NHS. She said it saved her life after a childhood accident. She has also highlighted differences in funding for the NHS in Scotland compared to England.
Social Issues
Ruth Davidson cares deeply about LGBTI rights. She strongly supported legalizing same-sex marriage in Scotland. She said that everyone should have the right to marry the person they love. She also encouraged Republic of Ireland to vote for same-sex marriage in their 2015 vote.
She has also spoken about transgender rights. She believes that the rights of women and trans people do not have to be in conflict. She wants to make things better for trans people, who are a vulnerable minority. At the same time, she wants to protect the rights of women.
Personal Life
Ruth Davidson is in a same-sex relationship with Jen Wilson. They appeared together in a party election broadcast in 2015. They announced their engagement in May 2016. In April 2018, Davidson announced she was expecting her first child. She gave birth to a son in October 2018.
Davidson is a member of the Church of Scotland. She enjoys dog walking, hillwalking, and kickboxing. She supports the Scottish football team Dunfermline Athletic.
In 2015, Davidson became the first female Scottish politician to appear on the BBC quiz show Have I Got News for You. In 2017, she became Honorary Colonel of the 32nd Signal Regiment. Time magazine included her in their "100 Most Influential People of 2018" list. In January 2024, she won a celebrity edition of Mastermind. Her specialist subject was Joan of Arc.
