Scottish Conservatives facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach agus Aonaidheach na h-Alba  (Scottish Gaelic) Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty  (Scots)
Leader	Douglas Ross
Deputy leader	Meghan Gallacher
Chairman	Craig Hoy
Deputy Chairwoman	Pam Gosal
Founded	1965 (1965)
Headquarters	67 Northumberland Street, Edinburgh
Youth wing	Scottish Young Conservatives
Ideology	Conservatism (British) Economic liberalism British unionism
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
National affiliation	Conservatives
Colours	Blue
Slogan	"Scotland's real alternative"
House of Commons (Scottish seats)	7 / 59
Scottish Parliament	31 / 129
Local government in Scotland	209 / 1,226
Politics of Scotland Political parties

The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is a political party active in Scotland. It is part of the larger UK Conservative Party. People often call them the Scottish Conservatives or the Scottish Tories.

This party is considered "centre-right" to "right-wing" in its political views. This means they generally support ideas like lower taxes, less government involvement in the economy, and strong law and order.

Currently, they hold 7 out of 59 Scottish seats in the UK Parliament. They also have 31 out of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament. In local councils across Scotland, they have 209 councillors.

A key part of their policies is to keep Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. They believe this union is important for Scotland's future.

Douglas Ross is the current leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. He took over in 2020. Before him, Jackson Carlaw and Ruth Davidson were leaders.

In the 2017 UK general election, the party did very well. They won 13 seats in the UK Parliament, which was their best result in a long time. However, in the 2019 election, they lost most of these gains. In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, they became the main opposition party, winning 31 seats. They kept these 31 seats in the 2021 election.

History of the Scottish Conservatives

Early Days of Scottish Conservatism

Before 1912, the Conservative Party was already active in Scotland. They had their own groups and meetings, separate from the main UK party. One important group was the National Union of Conservative Associations for Scotland, started in 1882.

In the late 1800s, the Liberal Party was very strong in Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives were their main rivals. In 1886, a group called the Liberal Unionists broke away from the Liberals. They disagreed with plans for Irish Home Rule (Ireland governing itself). The Conservatives and Liberal Unionists often worked together.

The Unionist Party (1912–1965)

Logo of the Scottish Unionist Association

In 1912, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Unionists officially joined together in England and Wales. Soon after, their Scottish branches also merged. This created the Unionist Party in Scotland.

This new Unionist Party was very successful in Scotland for many years. They often won the most votes in Scottish elections from the 1930s to the 1950s. Two UK Prime Ministers, Bonar Law and Alec Douglas-Home, came from this party. In the 1931 and 1955 general elections, they even won more than half of the votes in Scotland!

The Unionist Party strongly believed in Scotland staying part of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Some members also supported the idea of Scotland having more control over its own affairs, a bit like "home rule."

The Modern Scottish Conservative Party

By the 1960s, the Unionist Party's support began to drop. So, in 1965, they officially merged with the main Conservative and Unionist Party in England and Wales. This created the modern Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party we know today.

However, their election results continued to decline for many years. In the October 1974 election, their support fell below 25% of the vote. In 1997, they didn't win any seats in Scotland at all! For several elections after that, they only managed to win one seat in Scotland.

After the 2010 election, the party looked at how it was organised. They decided to create a new role: a single leader for the Scottish Conservative Party. This was meant to help them focus more on Scottish issues.

Scottish Devolution

Former logo of the Scottish Conservatives, used until 2006

Devolution means that some powers are transferred from the UK Parliament in London to a new parliament in Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives' views on devolution changed over time. In the past, they had some support for a Scottish Assembly. But under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, they became less supportive.

When the Labour Party won the 1997 UK election, they held referendums (public votes) on devolution in Scotland and Wales. Both countries voted yes to having their own parliaments.

In 1999, the first elections for the new Scottish Parliament were held. Even though the Conservatives had lost all their UK Parliament seats in Scotland in 1997, devolution gave them a chance to have elected representatives in Scotland again.

In 2011, there was a leadership election for the Scottish Conservatives. One candidate suggested breaking away from the main UK party to form a new Scottish party. But this idea was not supported by the others. Ruth Davidson won the leadership and became the first leader of the Scottish Conservative Party (not just their group in the Scottish Parliament).

The party strongly opposed Scottish independence in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. They were part of the "Better Together" campaign, which argued for Scotland to remain part of the UK.

Recent Elections

2011 Scottish Parliament Election

The Scottish Conservatives, led by Annabel Goldie, lost two seats in this election, going from 17 to 15. After the election, Annabel Goldie resigned. Ruth Davidson became the new leader. She brought in changes, like a new logo for the party.

2015 UK General Election

The Conservatives didn't gain many seats in Scotland in this election. David Mundell was their only MP elected in Scotland, winning his seat by a very small number of votes. Other seats they hoped to win went to the Scottish National Party (SNP).

2016 Scottish Parliament Election

Conservative share of the constituency vote in 2016.

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the Scottish Conservatives focused on being a strong opposition to the SNP government. They were against another vote on Scottish independence.

The party made big gains in this election. They doubled their number of seats in the Scottish Parliament, winning 31 seats. This made them the main opposition party, ahead of Scottish Labour. They won several new constituency seats, including Edinburgh Central, where Ruth Davidson was elected. This was their best result in Scotland since 1992.

2017 UK General Election

Conservative share of the vote in 2017.

In the 2017 general election, the Scottish Conservatives campaigned against another Scottish independence referendum. They had their best election in Scotland since 1983. They gained 12 new MPs, bringing their total to 13. They also got their highest share of the vote in Scotland since 1979.

They won seats across Scotland, including in the south, near Glasgow, and in the North East. They even won the seat of former First Minister Alex Salmond.

2019 UK General Election

Before this election, Ruth Davidson stepped down as leader. In the December 2019 general election, the Scottish Conservatives lost more than half of their seats in Scotland. They went from 13 MPs down to 6. Many of these seats were won by the Scottish National Party.

2021 Scottish Parliament Election

Douglas Ross led the Scottish Conservatives into the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. They lost two constituency seats but kept most of their other seats. They ended up with 31 seats, the same number as in 2016. They remained the main opposition party in the Scottish Parliament.

2022 Scottish Local Elections

In the 2022 Scottish local elections, the Scottish Conservatives lost 63 councillors. This was their worst local election result in almost ten years. They lost control of some councils. Douglas Ross said that national issues, like "Partygate" (a scandal involving parties during lockdown), affected their results.

Recent Challenges

After the 2022 local elections, the Scottish Conservatives continued to face challenges. Their support in opinion polls dropped. This was partly due to problems faced by the wider UK Conservative Party.

In October 2023, MP Lisa Cameron left the SNP and joined the Conservatives. This was seen as a boost for the party.

Policies and Ideas

The Scottish Conservatives are a "centre-right" to "right-wing" party. Their main goal is to keep Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. They have their own leader and make their own policies on issues that are decided in Scotland (devolved matters).

They describe themselves as a "patriotic, unionist party of the Scottish centre-right." They stand for:

• Scotland's place in the UK.
• Equal opportunities for everyone.
• Supporting businesses and economic growth.
• Giving more power to local communities.
• Protecting the rights of victims and supporting the police.

While they are linked to the UK Conservatives, they sometimes have different policies. For example, they supported free personal care for the elderly in Scotland, funded by taxes.

Like the Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrats, they are against Scottish independence. They are often seen as the strongest supporters of the Union. They generally want a business-friendly environment, more funding for police, and stricter laws to fight crime. They also want to help Scotland's rural communities.

They now support devolution (Scotland having its own parliament). However, they believe that previous Scottish governments have not used these powers well. They also support giving more financial powers to Scotland and more power to local communities.

In the 2019 UK general election, they promised to oppose another Scottish independence referendum and to deliver on Brexit (the UK leaving the European Union). In 2021, they said Scotland should focus on recovering its economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Party Organisation

The Scottish Conservative Party is run by a Management Board. This board includes the party leader, chairman, and other important members.

The party leader is chosen by party members through a "one-member-one-vote" system. The chairman is chosen by the Scottish leader after talking with the UK party leader.

Leaders of the Scottish Conservative Party

The role of Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party was created in 2011.

No.	Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end
1		Ruth Davidson	4 November 2011	29 August 2019
Jackson Carlaw was interim leader during this period
2		Jackson Carlaw	14 February 2020	30 July 2020
3		Douglas Ross	5 August 2020	Incumbent

Leaders in the Scottish Parliament

This position existed from 1999 to 2011. It was brought back in 2020 because the main party leader, Douglas Ross, was an MP in the UK Parliament, not an MSP in the Scottish Parliament.

No.	Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end
1		David McLetchie	6 May 1999	31 October 2005
2		Annabel Goldie	31 October 2005	4 November 2011
3		Ruth Davidson	11 August 2020	5 May 2021

Deputy Leaders

The Deputy Leader helps the main leader. The position was brought back in 2022.

No.	Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end
1		Murdo Fraser	31 October 2005	10 November 2011
2		Jackson Carlaw	10 November 2011	3 September 2019
3		Liam Kerr	3 September 2019	12 August 2020
4		Annie Wells	14 February 2020	12 August 2020
5		Meghan Gallacher	9 May 2022	Incumbent

Shadow Cabinet in the Scottish Parliament

The "Shadow Cabinet" is a group of MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) who lead the party's work on different topics. They suggest policies for Scotland.

Electoral Performance

In recent years, the Scottish Conservatives have become the second-largest political party in Scotland. This means they have the second-highest number of elected representatives in the Scottish Parliament, in Scottish seats in the UK House of Commons, and in local councils. They are usually behind the Scottish National Party (SNP) but ahead of Scottish Labour.

UK House of Commons Elections (Scottish Seats)

Blue indicates seats won by the Conservatives at the 2019 General Election.

This table shows how many seats the Scottish Conservatives have won in the UK Parliament over time.

Election	Scotland		+/–
	%	Seats
1979	31.4	22 / 72	6
1983	28.4	21 / 72	1
1987	24.0	10 / 72	11
1992	25.6	11 / 72	1
1997	17.5	0 / 72	11
2001	15.6	1 / 72	1
2005	15.8	1 / 59
2010	16.7	1 / 59
2015	14.9	1 / 59
2017	28.6	13 / 59	12
2019	25.1	6 / 59	7

Scottish Parliament Elections

Blue indicates seats won by the Conservatives in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

This table shows how many seats the Scottish Conservatives have won in the Scottish Parliament.

Election	Constituency			Regional			Total seats	+/–	Rank	Government
	Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
1999	364,425	15.6	0 / 73	359,109	15.3	18 / 56	18 / 129		3rd	Opposition
2003	318,279	16.6	3 / 73	296,929	15.5	15 / 56	18 / 129		3rd	Opposition
2007	334,743	16.6	4 / 73	284,035	13.9	13 / 56	17 / 129	1	3rd	Opposition
2011	276,652	13.9	3 / 73	245,967	12.4	12 / 56	15 / 129	2	3rd	Opposition
2016	501,844	22.0	7 / 73	524,222	22.9	24 / 56	31 / 129	16	2nd	Opposition
2021	592,526	21.9	5 / 73	637,131	23.5	26 / 56	31 / 129		2nd	Opposition

Local Council Elections

2017 local election results in Scotland where blue represents Conservative.

This table shows how many councillors the Scottish Conservatives have won in local elections.

Election	%	Councillors	+/–
1995	11.5	82 / 1,155
1999	13.5	108 / 1,222	26
2003	15.1	122 / 1,222	14
2007	15.6	143 / 1,222	21
2012	13.3	115 / 1,222	28
2017	25.3	276 / 1,227	161
2022	19.7	214 / 1,227	63

Images for kids

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  Annabel Goldie

See also

• Scottish Unionist Party (1912–1965)
• Elections in Scotland
• Welsh Conservatives