Ruth Davidson's letter to Glaswegian Tories

It has been an enormous privilege to have served as an MSP in Glasgow and I want to personally thank you for your support over the last four years.

During that time, my role as an MSP has allowed me to help hundreds of constituents, visit scores of businesses, charities and schools and play a large part in the civic life of our city. It has also allowed me to see the renewal of our party in Glasgow, with a new generation of activists coming forward and an increase of our vote across the city.

The future of our party locally is in good hands.

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For the elections next year, I will be putting my name forward to stand as a candidate in the Lothians Region.  My duties in the Scottish Parliament, along with my wider responsibilities as Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, have obliged me to spend an increasing amount of time in Edinburgh. 

Standing for election in the Lothians will enable me to maximise the time I can dedicate to those responsibilities, direct next year’s national campaign and return the largest number of Scottish Conservative MSPs to Holyrood.

At May’s general election, the Scottish Conservatives fielded an impressive team of new and able candidates in Glasgow.  We can be proud of the campaigns they fought and I am confident that whoever is selected to head our list of candidates for next year’s elections, they will be a strong Scottish Conservative and Unionist voice for Glasgow in the Scottish Parliament.  They can be assured of my own wholehearted support.                                                                                                                   

I know you will give that same support to all our Glasgow candidates once their selections have been completed in the coming weeks.

I am proud to lead our party at this crucial time for our country; the only party determined to stand up for the two million Scots who voted to keep our United Kingdom together.  And I am committed, as I am sure you are, that no tough decision will be dodged nor effort spared as we face our next big challenge of the Scottish Parliament elections next May. It is in that spirit that this decision has been taken.

Thank you again for all your support, now and in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Ruth Davidson MSP