Analysis | Charismatic gay Scottish leader Ruth Davidson rises as Theresa May licks her wounds
The success of the Scottish Conservatives helped save Theresa May from total disaster and could now give 38-year-old Davidson a more prominent role in British politics
A charismatic politician with a sense of humour who is respected even by her rivals, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson was everything Prime Minister Theresa May was not on the campaign trail.
After winning 13 seats in Scotland 12 more than the previous tally - and denting nationalist First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for independence, she is now an influential voice following Britain’s general election.
The success of the Scottish Conservatives helped save May from total disaster and could now give 38-year-old Davidson a more prominent role in British politics.
One example is Davidson’s more moderate rhetoric on Brexit in largely pro-EU Scotland, which is at odds with May’s stance until now and could herald a change of tack by the government.
“I’ve always spoken about how I want an open, rather than a closed Brexit, and that puts freedoms at the heart of what it is that we achieve here,” she said on Saturday as she showed off her 13 newly-minted MPs.