Who is Ruth Davidson? Scottish Tory leader who has welcomed her first child with partner Jen Wilson

RUTH Davidson has been the Leader of the Scottish Conservatives since 2011 and is the MSP for Edinburgh Central.

Here's what you need to know about the Scottish politician who despite her rapid rise in Scotland has ruled out becoming UK Prime Minister.

Who is Ruth Davidson?

Ruth Davidson was born in Edinburgh on November 10, 1978 and grew up in Fife.

Her father Douglas played professional football for Partick Thistle before working in the whisky industry.

After studying English at Edinburgh University, Ms Davidson was a BBC Scotland journalist for seven years.

In 2010, she joined the Scottish Conservatives Party.

The following year she became the leader of the Scots party, defeating second placed Murdo Fraser by 2,983 votes.

Under her stewardship, the Tories replaced Labour as the second biggest party at Holyrood behind the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Last year she was elected as an MP to the constituency of Edinburgh Central.

She served for three years in the territorial army from 2003 as a signaller, before suffering a back injury in training at Sandhurst.

In a 2015 election broadcast, Davidson was seen with her partner 36-year-old partner Jen Wilson.

She has told the BBC as a teenager it took her years to accept her sexuality.

"I struggled with it for a number of years actually before I would admit it to myself, never mind to anybody else," she said.

"But there comes a point at which you make a decision and that decision is either that you're going to live a lie for the rest of your life, or you're going to trust yourself, and that's what I had to do."

She recently took part in a celebrity charity episode of the Great British Bake Off.

Ruth Davidson has published a book called Yes She Can: Why Women Own The Future.

It is about life lessons learned by prominent women in politics and business.

She said: "This book is for every daughter, every mother, every aunt and every niece.

"As more and more women own the future, I hope very much that this book will become an obsolete curio in my own lifetime; a text to be puzzled over as to why it needed to be written at all. In the meantime, here are the life lessons learned by some of the world’s most powerful women."

When did Ruth Davidson give birth to her baby?

On October 26 she welcomed her 10lb arrival Finn Paul at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

"Welcome to the world, little one… Know you are loved," she tweeted.

She followed up with a witty joke and snap of her dog, wearing a scarf saying "big brother Wilson".

"Say what…?" she joked, zooming in on the dog's incredibly sad eyes after getting the news of the baby's arrival.

She announced  on April 26, that she is expecting her first child.

In a statement she said: "Jen and I are delighted to announce that I am expecting our first child in the late Autumn.

"Like all new parents-to-be, we are excited – and daunted – about the months to come.

"Mostly, we are just over-joyed at the prospect of starting a family together."

The 39-year-old has made no secret of her desire to be a mother, and found out in March that an IVF procedure had been successful.

Her statement continued: "My deputy, Jackson Carlaw, will hold the fort for a few months while I am on maternity leave.

"I also know myself, so it's highly likely I won’t be able to stay off the phone, demanding regular updates, during this time."

What has Ruth Davidson said about a No Deal Brexit?

She has repeatedly stated her position that she rejects no deal when it comes to Brexit.

Ms Davidson has said in the past: “I don’t think the government should pursue a no deal Brexit and, if it comes to it, I won’t support it.”

A combative performance in the 2016 EU Referendum debate propelled her into the limelight.

She argued passionately for staying in the European Union in front of a 6,000 strong audience at Wembley Arena.

Tensions between her and the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson have been strained as she made no secret of the fact she did not want Mr Johnson in No 10.

Despite the divide between them Mr Johnson said on July 29 he would throw his weight behind her campaign to become the next First Minister of Scotland.

 

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