RUTH Davidson has been accused of trying to “duck scrutiny” after reports she complained over being referred to as Baroness in a BBC report.
The former Scottish Tory leader is said to have requested that the broadcaster will not refer to her by the future title after political editor Brian Taylor made the remark during a discussion last month.
In July it was confirmed that Davidson had been given a peerage, and she said she will take her seat in the House of Lords after next year’s Holyrood elections, when she will step down as an MSP.
One party source said the title was “not the image the Tories are going for in the lead-up to the elections” and that it “adds to the stereotype of Conservatives”, according to a report in The Herald.
Yesterday SNP House of Lords spokesperson Tommy Sheppard MP said she had lost all credibility in accepting the peerage and accused her of an “arrogant bid” to silence the BBC.
He said: “It might be possible for the Tories to dodge the electorate under the broken Westminster system, but Baroness Davidson cannot duck scrutiny for her indefensible decision, which will remind people across Scotland just how out of touch the Tories are. The House of Lords should have been abolished decades ago – and unfortunately for the Tory Baroness this botched bid to silence the media and clamp down on free discussion has backfired, with the issue trending on social media.
“At next year’s election, Nicola Sturgeon will be making the case for a progressive SNP government to take Scotland forward and give people a choice over our future. Meanwhile, Baroness Davidson will be pulling on her ermine robes, running away from democratic accountability, and cashing in as a Tory lord.”
Former Holyrood presiding officer Tricia Marwick, who revealed in 2016 that she had declined to have her name put forward to be recognised in the honours list, also criticised Davidson.
The former SNP MSP tweeted: “Simple. If you don’t want to be referred to by your title then you should refuse to accept one. Some of us did.”
A source close to Davidson is reported to have claimed the complaint was done in a “joking way” between “two old mates” to correct the inaccuracy, as she is not due to take her seat until next year.
A Scottish Conservatives spokesperson said: “Ruth Davidson is a Member of the Scottish Parliament and the leader of the Scottish Conservative group at Holyrood. She does not hold any other titles.”
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