A POSSIBLE bid by Michelle Ballantyne to become the next Scottish Tory leader has been dealt a blow after it was claimed that the party’ MSPs and MPs look set to endorse Jackson Carlaw.
A senior Conservative source suggested the parliamentarians were supporting the interim leader and Eastwood MSP who has been fulfilling the role since Ruth Davidson dramatically stood down in August.
Asked who he would be backing, the insider told The National: “I’m backing Jackson. I’m not aware of any MSP or MP who is publicly backing Michelle.”
Ballantyne does not need the support of any MPs or MSPs to stand but the lack of influential senior supporters could put her off from launching a bid to challenge Carlaw or weaken any potential leadership campaign if she does throw her hat into the ring.
READ MORE: Jackson Carlaw's track record 'exposed' by SNP dossier
Over the weekend she told The Daily Telegraph she will put her name forward to succeed Davidson in the role if she receives the 100 nominations from party members she requires. She argued there should be a leadership contest for members to have their say over the party’s future, rather than someone being chosen in a “dark room somewhere”.
She acknowledged her decision would be opposed by many within the Holyrood group who want a coronation for Carlaw. Nominations for the leadership opened yesterday and will close on January 17.
Carlaw yesterday confirmed his bid to be the Scottish Tories’ next leader, saying he is “ready for the fight” and has hired PR company Halogen Communications to deal with media requests and strategy.
His campaign is being run by Holyrood frontbench Conservative MSPs Liam Kerr and Rachael Hamilton, who are jointly chairing his leadership bid. Carlaw tweeted: “As nominations open for leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party this morning, I can confirm I’ll be standing.
“We must take the fight to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, broadening our platform and diversifying our party. I’m ready for the fight.”
The leadership contest comes after Davidson – who took the party to become the main opposition to the SNP in Scotland, stepped down – citing both her “conflict” over Brexit and the birth of her son Finn as reasons for her decision.
The hunt for her successor was put on hold after Prime Minister Boris Johnson called a snap General Election. The Tories lost seven of their 13 Scottish MPs, with the campaign focused on opposition to a second independence referendum.
Writing in the Sunday Times newspaper, Carlaw said the next year’s Holyrood elections must be “about far more than our constitutional settlement”. He called on Tories to raise their game, saying: “We need to be bold and fearlessly champion solutions to the challenges of the 2020s that Scotland will face – to create opportunity in housing and education, secure a sustainable future for our publicly-funded NHS, deliver – not just promise – on the environment and transform our post-Brexit economy.
“And to succeed, Scottish Conservatives at Holyrood need to look more like the Scotland we seek to represent, and to embrace procedures that deliver this. In short, we need to ensure that while we have many more new MSPs joining our team in 2021, all are typical of the new generation of Conservatives representing their communities at all levels, diverse in every sense, talented, experienced, of all ages and backgrounds.”
Several MSPs touted as candidates have decided not to stand, and are throwing their weight behind Carlaw. They include Adam Tomkins and Murdo Fraser, who has previously advocated the Scottish Tories loosening their ties with the UK party.
One senior MSP told the Daily Telegraph: “A lot of people say Jackson has it sewn up. What point is there standing and coming second or third? Jackson has done quite a good job and people are quite happy. Whether it’s a coronation or a contest, Jackson will win.”
Ballantyne, the shadow social security minister, told the paper: “Fundamentally, I think it’s important we have a leadership contest. I don’t like coronations. It’s not about who wins. It’s about ensuring we have a democratic mandate for that decision. I do think it’s important to have that democratic exercise and ensure those who will have the right to vote are able to exercise that right.”
Ballantyne made headlines in 2018 when she argued benefit claimants should limit the number of children they have. She did not respond to The National’s request for a comment.
A spokesman for Carlaw said the leader nominations have just opened and the returning officer will announce them at the end of the nominations period.
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