Ruth Davidson will back Boris Johnson - but not his no-deal Brexit plan
Boris Johnson's Scotland problem may deepen as Ruth Davidson refuses to back a no deal exit from the EU on 31 October.
Monday 29 July 2019 07:25, UK
The Scottish Conservatives leader has said she will back Boris Johnson - but not a no-deal Brexit.
Ruth Davidson, who leads the Conservatives in the devolved Scottish Parliament, said in her weekly column for the Scottish Mail on Sunday that the government should not be pursuing a no-deal Brexit.
It comes after Michael Gove said the cabinet is now working on the assumption of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
Boris Johnson, who makes his first visit to Scotland as PM on Monday, has pledged to take the UK out of the EU by Halloween "do or die".
However, his inability to get Ms Davidson on board could be costly, as the party has mixed success in Scotland, and Mr Johnson is not popular there.
Ms Davidson wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "I hope beyond measure that the new Prime Minister is successful in getting an agreement with the EU so that he can go back to the House of Commons and get the majority backing he needs.
"He has my full support in those efforts," she added, before explaining: "Where I differ with the UK government is on the question of a no-deal Brexit.
"When I was debating against the pro-Brexit side in 2016, I don't remember anybody saying we should crash out of the EU with no arrangements in place to help maintain the vital trade that flows uninterrupted between Britain and the European Union.
"I don't think the UK government should pursue a no-deal Brexit, and if it comes to it, I won't support it.
"I wrote to tell the former prime minister Theresa May that last year and I confirmed my position to her successor when I spoke to him last week.
"As leader of the party in Scotland, my position exists independently of government. I don't have to sign a no-deal pledge to continue to serve."
Mr Johnson has struggled with his reputation in Scotland since at least 2004, when as editor of The Spectator, he published a poem which called for the "extermination" of the "verminous Scottish race". The poet said it was written in jest.
Mr Johnson's comments on the formula by which Scotland receives funding from the UK have not helped, once calling the Barnett formula a multi-million pound present from England to Scotland.
Earlier this week, Ms Davidson told The New Statesman she had been "open and honest" with the new leader, including that she had not voted for him, backing Jeremy Hunt.
SNP MP Stephen Gethins said Ms Davidson's position as Scottish Tory leader is "untenable".
"It's time for Ruth Davidson to find a backbone and join the SNP in meaningfully opposing Boris Johnson's disastrous Brexit plans - instead of always rolling over," Mr Gethins said.
"She says she will support Mr Johnson but not a no-deal Brexit - but the fact is you can't do both. Her position is untenable and weak.
"As the European elections showed, the Tories' support for Brexit is damaging them in Scotland - and they will face an electoral backlash if they drag Scotland out of the EU against our will."