BORIS Johnson has lavished praise on Ruth Davidson, insisting he will work to help her become the next first minister.
The frosty relationship between the two has become positively glacial in recent days.
Last week, the Prime Minister humiliated the Scottish Tory chief by ignoring her very public plea to keep David Mundell in his post as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Instead, the veteran minister was replaced the by rookie MP Alister Jack.
Over the weekend, Davidson, who previously described Johnson of having a “bumble-bluster, kitten smirk, tangent-bomb” routine, insisted she wouldn’t back a no-deal Brexit.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson leaves Bute House meeting by the back door
The new Prime Minister has vowed that, “do or die”, the UK will leave the EU on October 31 even if no withdrawal agreement has been reached. All ministers in his cabinet are expected to commit to this.
In her column, Davidson insisted her position in the Scottish Parliament was independent of Westminster and that she did not have to sign any no-deal pledge.
“I don’t think the UK Government should pursue a no-deal Brexit, and if it comes to it, I won’t support it,” she said.
Asked about Davidson during his visit to Faslane, the Prime Minister said he was “lost in admiration” at what she had achieved in Scotland.
“I’m a number one fan of Ruth Davidson and what she’s done for Scottish Conservatives.
“It’s she who is taking the fight to the Scottish nationalists, those who would destroy the Union. She’s been fantastically successful and I admire her brand of Conservatism very much.
“Indeed, she and I share a huge range of political beliefs and our core philosophy is the same.”
He added: “I am totally with Ruth in her political ambitions. I hope she succeeds here in Scotland. I’ll be doing absolutely everything I can to assist her.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon challenges Boris Johnson to indyref2 TV debate
In a statement released following the meeting between the two in her Scottish Parliament offices, Davidson said: “On Brexit, the Prime Minister has made clear the Government’s preference is to leave the European Union with a deal. I back him wholeheartedly in that aim.”
She said the SNP’s “warnings about no deal are utterly hypocritical”.
“Rather than complain from the sidelines, it’s time the First Minister worked with colleagues across the UK, and supported a deal that delivers on the referendum result, gives clarity to Scottish business, delivers for the Scottish fishing industry, and works for us all.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel