HOLYROOD was left reeling last night after Jackson Carlaw quit as leader of the Scottish Tories – less than six months after being elected to the post.
His shock resignation forces the party into a leadership contest in the middle of a pandemic.
Within minutes of the news breaking, the former Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross emerged as a favourite.
Senior Tory sources were insisting Carlaw’s goodbye had nothing to do with Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings but rather was a result of the Holyrood group’s unhappiness with his performance.
At last December’s General Election, the Scottish Tories lost seven Westminster seats.
Polling for next year’s Holyrood vote suggests they’re heading for significant losses there too.
READ MORE: 'Was he pushed or did he jump?': Twitter reacts to Jackson Carlaw quitting
Perhaps more damningly for Carlaw, his time in charge of the Tory Party in Scotland has co-incided with a surge in support for independence. A series of recent polls have suggested that the majority Scots would vote Yes in the next indyref.
In a statement, Carlaw said he had reached the “simple if painful conclusion” that he was not up to the job.
He said: “Over the summer I have had the chance to think hard about my role as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
“Nothing is more important to me than making the case for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.
“I believe the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the most important voice in Scotland for setting out that positive argument. I am clear that nothing must get in the way of doing so.
“In the last few weeks, I have reached a simple if painful conclusion that I am not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed to lead that case over these next vital months in Scottish politics prior to the Holyrood elections.
“Given the importance I attach to the job, I’ve therefore decided to stand down with immediate effect.
“It is not an easy call but I have spent a lifetime in politics holding to the maxim that party and country comes first. I believe I am doing my duty by holding to that view now.
"I simply believe that a new leader will be able, as we recover from the Covid emergency, to make the case for the Scottish Conservatives and the Union better than me. That is all that matters.”
READ MORE: Ruth Davidson expected to take over at FMQs after Jackson Carlaw quits
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Carlaw, saying he had been “a tremendous servant to the Scottish Conservative Party for more than four decades”.
“It is a mark of his commitment to the cause that he chooses to stand aside at this time,” Johnson added.
READ MORE: This is Boris Johnson's response to Jackson Carlaw quitting
Nicola Sturgeon tweeted her best wishes to Carlaw, saying that “leadership is a tough business and I’m sure his decision wasn’t easy”.
She added: “We’ve crossed swords politically on many occasions, but worked constructively on some issues too – he has, eg, been a strong voice for women suffering mesh complications.”
READ MORE: 'We’ve crossed swords politically': FM reacts to Jackson Carlaw quitting
David Mundell said he had the “utmost respect for Jackson Carlaw’s’s brave and principled decision”.
He added: “It is entirely in keeping with his lifetime of duty and service to @ScotTories and our United Kingdom”.
Carlaw was elected to the top job in February, after a rancorous leadership contest where he defeated rival Michelle Ballantyne by 4917 votes to 1581. Carlaw served as acting leader of the Scottish Conservatives while then leader Ruth Davidson was on maternity leave from September 2018 until May 2019.
He then took over the role again in August 2019, when Davidson quit.
It’s believed Davidson will now stand in for Carlaw at First Minister’s Questions, and, if Ross is elected leader, will remain as stand in chief right up until the next election.
READ MORE: Here's what Scottish Tory leader hopeful Douglas Ross said he'd do if PM
The SNP’s Humza Yousaf said Carlaw’s resignation showed how weak the case for remaining in the Union was. He said: “Jackson Carlaw is a Unionist to the core. It is in his bones, he passionately believes in it.
“If he has come to conclusion that he cannot make the best case for Scotland remaining in the UK then no-one can.
“Independence is coming, people. Even more important we stay focused.”
READ MORE: Five of Jackson Carlaw's biggest blunders at First Minister's Questions
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