Scots Tory leader sets out policy base for party

The Conservatives must challenge the “left-wing consensus” at the heart of Scottish political life, party leader Ruth Davidson said in a keynote speech in Aberdeen yesterday.

Ms Davidson set out a raft of education, health and social housing policies as she sought to lay out the direction her leadership will take.

Right-to-buy will not only be restored for council houses, but tenants will get direct funding to help them buy their own homes. English-style academy schools will be established free from council control, while more private sector involvement in the NHS will be opened up.

Ms Davidson, who took over as party leader three months ago, indicated that she is determined to turn the party into a real right-of-centre alternative for Scottish voters.

“After the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, a comfortable consensus settled across much of political life in Scotland,” she said. “If we are to be completely honest with ourselves, over that time we as Scottish Conservatives did perhaps not do as much to challenge that consensus as we might.”