February 2020 Scottish Conservatives leadership election

February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election
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Candidate Jackson Carlaw Michelle Ballantyne
Delegate votes 4,917 1,581
Percentage 75.7% 24.3%
Leader before election

Ruth Davidson
Jackson Carlaw (Acting)

 Elected Leader

Jackson Carlaw

The February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fourth internal party election to elect the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives, part of the British Conservative Party and the second-largest political party in the devolved Scottish Parliament. Ruth Davidson, who won the previous leadership election in 2011, resigned on 29 August 2019. Two candidates contested the election: Jackson Carlaw MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament), who served as the Scottish Conservatives' interim leader,[1] and Michelle Ballantyne MSP. Carlaw was seen as the favourite in the contest, and won the endorsement of most of the party's MSPs and MPs (Members of Parliament).[2] Carlaw won the election on 14 February 2020, winning more than three-quarters of the votes of party members.

The leadership election was expected to take place in late 2019, but was delayed due to the 2019 United Kingdom general election. Carlaw represented the Conservatives in the two Scottish televised debates during the election campaign.[3]

  1. ^ Taylor, Brian (3 October 2019). "How long will Jackson Carlaw remain interim Scottish Conservative leader?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference result was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Election 2019: Scottish party leaders clash in debate". BBC News. 3 December 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020. the Scottish Conservatives' interim leader Jackson Carlaw ... took part