Council elections `plague on both your houses´, Davidson tells…

‘They’re giving up!’ Furious Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson takes a swipe at the PM and her ministers ‘down south’ for ‘sitting out’ the EU election campaign

  • Scottish Tories’ chief appeared to take aim at Theresa May and her ministers 
  • Ms Davidson sampled whisky Deanston Distillery as she launched her campaign
  • She said: ‘I would say to some colleagues down south who are perhaps choosing not to campaign that’s pretty disappointing’
  • EU election polls have put the Tories as much as 18 points behind the Brexit Party

Ruth Davidson today hit out at Westminster MPs for their failure to campaign for the EU elections accusing them of ‘giving up’ and refusing to lead.

The leader of the Scottish Tories appeared to take aim at Theresa May and her ministers ‘down south’ as the Brexit deadlock continues saying they ‘have to fight harder’.

Speaking at the launch of her own campaign at a whisky distillery near Stirling, she begged Tory voters not to back Nigel Farage on May 23 – and suggested that those MPs not spreading the same message are admitting failure. 

Ms Davidson, who has just returned from maternity after having her first child, said it was ‘pretty disappointing’ some of her English colleagues seem to be ‘sitting this one out’ as they face a bruising from the Brexit Party.   

She said: ‘I would say to some colleagues down south who are perhaps choosing not to campaign that’s pretty disappointing.

‘I think that as Conservatives and in the privileged position that we are, to be elected to Parliament and be in a leadership position, it’s our job to lead. Just because the fight’s harder – that means that you have to fight harder, it doesn’t mean you give up’. 

Today the Prime Minister’s official spokesman dodged questions about whether Mrs May would do any campaigning and re-confirmed there would be no manifesto as the PM. 

Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson siphons out some whisky as she launched the EU election campaign in Sterling and took a swipe at her colleagues ‘down south’

Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson samples whisky during a visit to Deanston Distillery in Doune

A YouGov poll this week found that the Tories were on course to slump to fifth place behind the Greens in next week’s elections.

The survey for the Times put the Brexit Party on 34 points, well ahead of Labour on 16, the Liberal Democrats on 15 and the Greens on 11. The poll put Tory support on just 10 per cent.

Ms Davidson also described the council election results on May 3 as a ‘plague on both your houses’ as she urged MPs to agree on a Brexit vision in the run-up to the European ballot.

The Scottish Conservative leader said the local authority results were a message to both the Tories and Labour after they failed to reach a deal on leaving the EU.

She spoke out on the issue as she launched her party’s campaign for the ballot at Deanston Distillery near Stirling.

Ms Davidson said: ‘I think it’s clear that people are frustrated that Brexit hasn’t happened yet, because they were told it would.

‘The council elections down south were a plague on both your houses – both Labour and the Conservatives – for not reaching a deal.

‘I would encourage both my colleagues in the Conservative party in the House of Commons and the Labour Party to try to walk back to the centre and let’s get a deal over the line.

‘The people of this country are watching and they’re giving them a pretty clear instruction.’

Ms Davidson said voters could trust her party not to re-run any referendums.

She urged MPs to give serious consideration to Theresa May’s deal when it is brought back to Parliament in the first week of June.

Ruth Davidson also described the poor council election results on May 3 for the Tories and Labour as a ‘plague on both your houses’

Mrs May addressed MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions today after revealing MPs would vote on a Brexit deal again next month. Ms Davidson has urged MPs to back it

Ms Davidson added: ‘I would urge colleagues from all parties in the House of Commons to consider very seriously the deal that’s brought forward next month, when the Prime Minister brings it back.

‘Yes, we’ve heard all of the things that people don’t want but we do have to coalesce around something that the country does want, that it can live with, that will give us that orderly Brexit, that will allow companies – like the one I’m visiting today – to have answers and to make decisions about their future.

‘The alternative is the EU27 doesn’t grant any further extensions, that we fall out without a deal.

‘That would be incredibly disruptive to some of the businesses that I’ve been speaking to across Scotland.’

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