RUTH Davidson will join the House of Lords on Tuesday as the SNP accused her of “selling out” to Boris Johnson.
Davidson, who picked her title as Baroness of Lundin Links after the village where she grew up, will be introduced to the un-elected upper chamber by Mark McInnes - Johnson’s new Scotland adviser.
The former Tory leader said she would take the role in the Lords seriously, while opponents accuse her of selling out to Johnson, who’s leadership bid for the party she opposed.
Davidson said: “This is important work and it’s vital that it is undertaken by a mix of people from all backgrounds and all parts of the country.
READ MORE: Baroness Davidson: Scots react to Ruth Davidson's House of Lords title
“I hope to take all of the experience I’ve gained over the last decade in Holyrood and put it to good use in my new role.
“I am keen to make a contribution in areas of importance to me such as gambling reform, end of life choices and the constitution, and pledge to work with members from all parties and none in reforming the House of Lords into a democratic chamber.“
Davidson was leader of the Scottish Tory party for eight years, but stood down in August 2019 after Johnson became Prime Minister.
An SNP spokesman said: “The leader responsible for a Scottish Tory operation to keep Boris Johnson out of Downing Street has now fully sold out, having been bought by his gift of a lucrative lifetime seat in the Lords.
“It’s questionable whether the good Fifers of Lundin Links will appreciate being associated with such an insult to democracy as the unelected Lords.
“And given the appalling stench of sleaze that surrounds Ruth Davidson’s Westminster colleagues, perhaps a better title would be Baroness Davidson of dodgy links.”
Until her swearing-in, Davidson is unable to participate in proceedings in the House of Lords.
She joins five other Scottish party leaders who have been appointed to the Lords, including Jack McConnell (Lab), Jim Wallace and Nicol Stephen (LibDem), and Annabel Goldie (Con).
READ MORE: 'Ludicrous' election of Tory peers show lack of democracy in Lords
Katy Clark, a current Scottish Labour MSP, is a member of the Lords but took a leave of absence after she was elected to Holyrood.
In September, shortly after the appointment was confirmed, Sturgeon couldn’t believe Davidson had the “brass neck to lecture the rest of us on scrutiny and accountability” while planning to move to the unelected Chamber.
While debating education, the First Minister went on the attack, telling the former leader: “Can I say to Ruth Davidson not only am I perfectly willing and happy to have questions asked of me on my record, my policies and my plans, I’m happy to allow the Scottish people to judge that in an election. Instead we have Ruth Davidson who wants to continue to be a politician but without the consent of a single person across this country.
“She’s heading to an unelected parliament but has the brass neck to lecture the rest of us on scrutiny and accountability.
“There is no ermine cloak in the world that will cover up that hypocrisy.”
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