Ruth Davidson's Conservatives bid to become next Scottish Government

Ruth Davidson's Conservatives will launch their bid to become the next Scottish ­Government at their coming conference.

Ruth Davidson: Picture: Toby Williams

Activists are gathering in Aberdeen next week, with Ms Davidson describing the event as the first time in about 30 years where the Tories have been able to present themselves as a future government.

It comes after the Tories overtook Labour to become the second largest party at Holyrood in 2016. The 2017 general election saw the number of Scottish Conservative MPs rise from just one to 13.

Ms Davidson’s successes in Scotland have marked her out as a rising star in the UK party. There has been speculation she could stand south of the Border, but the Tory MSP has insisted she has set her sights on becoming Scotland’s next First Minister.

In a magazine interview, Ms Davidson said: “This conference we’re having in March is going to be really important for us because it’s the first time in 30 years, maybe, that you’ve got a group of Scottish Conservatives getting together and saying ,‘How do we form the next government of Scotland?’.

“That’s an ambitious belief that we’ve never allowed ourselves to have before.”

She said the Conservative conference would feature debates on issues such as law and order, but also environment and rural economies.