Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba[a] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Russell Findlay |
| Deputy Leader | Rachael Hamilton |
| Chair | Alasdair Locke |
| Founded | April 1965; 60 years ago (April 1965)[2] |
| Preceded by | Unionist Party |
| Headquarters | 67 Northumberland Street,Edinburgh |
| Youth wing | Scottish Young Conservatives |
| Membership(2024) | 7,000[3] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right toright-wing |
| National affiliation | Conservatives |
| Colours | Blue |
| House of Commons (Scottish seats) | 5 / 57 |
| Scottish Parliament[7] | 28 / 129 |
| Councillors[8] | 175 / 1,226 |
| Councils led inScotland[8] | 4 / 32 |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheScottish Conservative and Unionist Party (Scottish Gaelic:Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba[9]), known asScottish Tories, is part of the UKConservative Party active in Scotland. It currently holds 5 of the 57 Scottish seats in theHouse of Commons, 28 of the 129 seats in theScottish Parliament,[7] and comprises 176 of Scotland's 1,226 local councillors.[8]. The Scottish Conservative party has no separateChief Whip at Westminster.
The party's policies in Scotland usually promoteconservatism and the continuation of Scotland's role as part of theUnited Kingdom.
The party's policies promoteconservatism and apro-union position supporting Scotland continuing to be part of the United Kingdom. The Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party isRussell Findlay who waselected to the role in September 2024.
The party campaigns in elections to theUK Parliament,Scottish Parliament andlocal government.
The party evolved in its present structure from theUnionist Party which existed from 1912 to 1965, combining elements from the pre-1912 Conservative Party in Scotland and theLiberal Unionists. Gradually entering local government from the 1960s, the party replaced previous local groupings ofProgressives andModerates.
The party faced a decline in the latter half of the 20th century, reaching an electoral low-point in the1997 UK election and returning no Members of Parliament. This was followed by a period of partial recovery in the2017 election to hold 13 seats - and declining in subsequent elections.
From the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as part of a process ofdevolution, the party fielded candidates resulting in 18 Scottish ConservativeMembers of the Scottish Parliament elected in theparliament's first election. In the2016 election, the Scottish Conservatives replacedScottish Labour as the second-largest party and largest opposition grouping, growing from 16 to 31 seats - a position they maintained in the2021 election.
Before 1912, the Conservative Party operated in Scotland. With the emergence of mass party political groups in the second half of the 19th century, distinct organisations emerged in Scotland. The voluntary party organisation, the National Union of Conservative Associations for Scotland (mirroring theNational Union of Conservative Associations), emerged in 1882, creating a distinct Conservative conference in Scotland.[10]
A previous organisation, the Scottish National Constitutional Association, existed from 1867, with the patronage of UK party leaderBenjamin Disraeli.The Scotsman newspaper reported that following the 1874 election "Conservative Clubs and Working Men's Conservative Associations have spring up like mushrooms in all parts of [Scotland]".[11]
From theRepresentation of the People Act 1884 until 1918, theLiberal Party was the dominant political force in Scotland, operating in a largely two-party system with the Scottish Conservatives. In 1886, theLiberal Unionists had broken away from theLiberal Party in opposition toWilliam Gladstone's proposals forIrish Home Rule. Joint Liberal Unionist and Conservative candidates were run across the United Kingdom, but with the organisations of these parties remaining separate.
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Following the merger of the Conservatives and Liberal Unionists to create the modernConservative and Unionist Party in England and Wales, a committee was formed of the National Union of Conservative Associations for Scotland and regional Liberal Unionist associations which recommended a merger in Scotland. This was agreed in December 1912, creating the Scottish Unionist Association and theUnionist Party.[12]
From 1918 and through the 1920s, theLabour Party became more prominent, displacing the Liberals as one of the two main parties in Scottish politics. The Unionist Party had a number of electoral successes, topping the poll in Scotland in a number of elections from the 1930s to 1950s. During the period of its existence, the Unionist Party produced two Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom –Bonar Law andAlec Douglas-Home – and uniquely among parties in the post-war period, achieved more than half of the popular vote within Scotland in the1931 general election and1955 general election. The majority of the vote achieved in these two General Elections was combined with theNational Liberal Party who later merged with theConservative and Unionist Party in 1968 alongside theUnionist Party which had already merged into theConservative and Unionist Party in 1965.
While taking the Conservativewhip in theHouse of Commons, the Unionist Party had a lengthy "unionist-nationalist" tradition, emphasising its Scottish identity within the United Kingdom and theBritish Empire. This was represented by elected members such asJohn Buchan (who said "I believe every Scotsman should be a Scottish nationalist")[13] and those former Unionists who in 1932 founded the pro-home ruleScottish Party (which later merged with theNational Party of Scotland to form the Scottish National Party).
Following a decline in performance, coming second to the Labour Party in seats though first in votes at the1959 general election and both votes and seats at the1964 general election, the Unionist Party proposed a number of reforms which involved amalgamation with the Conservative and Unionist Party in England and Wales – taking place in 1965. The modern Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, as part of the wider UK Conservative Party, came into existence from this point.[14]
However its electoral fortunes continued to decline throughout the 1960s. FollowingHarold Wilson's failure to obtain a Labour majority inFebruary 1974, a second general election was held in October of the same year which saw the party decline to below 25% of the vote and drop from 21 seats to 16. At the same time, theSNP were to gain an unprecedented 11 MPs, unseating a number of Conservative MPs in rural constituencies.
The party's fortunes recovered somewhat in 1979 under the leadership ofMargaret Thatcher, but her tenure asPrime Minister was to see the party's fortunes drop further from holding 22 seats in1979 to 10 in1987. The party increased its share of the vote and number of MPs to 11 in1992 underJohn Major's leadership before dropping to 17.5% of the popular vote and failing to have any MPs returned from Scotland in 1997. It continued to return only a single MP from Scottish constituencies at the2001,2005,2010 and2015 general elections, before winning 13 seats in2017.
Following the 2010 general election performance, the party commissioned a review underLord Sanderson of Bowden to consider the party's future organisation. The Sanderson Commission's report recommended a single Scottish leader (replacing a leader of the Scottish Parliamentary group), reforms to governance and constituency structures, the creation of regional campaigning centres, greater focus on policy development and a new membership and fundraising drive.[15]
The party's commitments to a devolved Scottish Assembly were to decline under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher. Previously the party had offered some support for aScottish Assembly, including in the so-calledDeclaration of Perth in 1968 under UK party leaderEdward Heath. John Major, while endorsing further powers for theScottish Grand Committee and theScottish Office did not support a devolved parliament. With the Labour Party's victory in 1997, referendums on devolution were organised in Scotland and Wales, both receiving agreement that devolved legislatures should be formed.
In 1999, the first elections to a devolved Scottish Parliament were held. Following the Conservatives electoral wipe-out in Scotland in 1997, devolution provided the party with a number of parliamentary representatives in Scotland. Less than a year following the first Scottish Parliament election, a2000 by-election was held in theAyr constituency withJohn Scott winning the seat from Labour.
In the party leadership elections in 2011, the previous deputy leaderMurdo Fraser proposed disbanding the party and creating a new Scottish party of the centre-right, similar to the previous Unionist Party and compared this arrangement to the relationship between theChristian Social Union in Bavaria and theChristian Democratic Union in Germany. The move was opposed by the other three candidates.[16][17] Victory went to the newly elected MSP Ruth Davidson who suggested that she would oppose further devolution beyond the new powers proposed by theCalman Commission.
The party was one of the three main Scottish political parties to join in theBetter Together campaign opposing Scotland becoming independent in the2014 Scottish independence referendum. Although a Conservative majority government was returned in Westminster in the 2015 general election,David Mundell remained their only MP elected in Scotland and was appointedSecretary of State for Scotland. He replacedLiberal Democrat incumbents who served during the2010–15 Coalition government. The UK Government set about implementing the recommendations of the cross-partySmith Commission.
Annabel Goldie led the party into the2011 Scottish Parliament election, having successfully campaigned in budget negotiations with the minority SNPScottish Government for a number of concessions over the 2007–11 Scottish Parliament. This had resulted in commitments to 1,000 extra police officers, four-year council tax freeze and £60m town regeneration fund.[18]
The election saw the SNP win a majority and the Scottish Conservatives were reduced from 17 seats to 15, losing theEdinburgh Pentlands constituency to the SNP, seeing notional loses inEastwood andDumfriesshire to Labour. Following the election, Annabel Goldie resigned as leader and aleadership election was held in November 2011 – the first to appoint a Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, rather than the Scottish Parliament group, as required by the Sanderson Commission.Ruth Davidson was returned, beating the original front-runner and former deputy leaderMurdo Fraser.
Davidson drove forward a number of the Sanderson Commission's reforms, including replacing the party'sBanyan (or Indian Fig) tree logo with a "union saltire".
The Conservatives made little advance at the2015 UK general election, with Scotland's sole Conservative MPDavid Mundell holding on to hisDumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency with a reduced majority of just 798 votes ahead of the SNP'sEmma Harper. The Conservatives made no seat gains at the election in Scotland, with target seats such asArgyll and Bute;West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine; andAngus being won by the SNP (who won all but 3 Scottish seats). The party did however come close inBerwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk where MSPJohn Lamont was only 328 votes behind the SNP'sCalum Kerr: this was the most marginal result in Scotland and the eighth most marginal result in the United Kingdom.
At the2016 Scottish Parliament election, the Scottish Conservative campaign focused on providing strong opposition to the SNP government in Scotland, opposing calls for asecond referendum on Scottish independence. The party manifesto focused on freezing business tax rates to promote economic growth and greater employment opportunities; investing in mental health treatment over the course of the next parliament; a commitment to building 100,000 affordable homes within 5 years and a re-introduction of theRight to Buy scheme in Scotland.[19] The Scottish Conservatives were the only major party in Scotland to oppose higher taxes to the rest of the United Kingdom during the campaign as tax reductions came in force across the rest of the UK which were opposed by the SNP, Labour and Liberal Democrats.[20]
At the election the party saw major gains, particularly on the regional list vote. The Conservatives doubled their representation in the Scottish Parliament by taking 31 seats (compared to 15 in 2011), making them the leading opposition party in the Scottish Parliament ahead ofScottish Labour. On the constituency element of the vote the Conservatives held on to their threefirst past the post constituency seats (Ayr;Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire andGalloway and West Dumfries), making gains inAberdeenshire West;Dumfriesshire;Eastwood andEdinburgh Central, where party leader Ruth Davidson stood for election. This marked the party's best electoral performance in Scotland since the1992 UK general election.
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Campaigning in opposition to proposals put forward byNicola Sturgeon and theScottish Parliament for asecond referendum on Scottish independence to be held following the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union ina referendum held in 2016 which was not supported by a majority of Scottish voters, the Scottish Conservatives had their best ever election in Scotland in seat terms since1983 at the2017 general election. The Conservatives gained 12 MP's in Scotland to give them 13 in total. The party had their largest vote share in a general election in Scotland since1979, taking a total of 757,949 votes (28.6%) in Scotland.
David Mundell held on to hisDumfrieesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale seat with an increased majority of 9,441 votes (19.3%). The party also gained theAyr, Carrick and Cumnock;Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk; andDumfries and Galloway constituencies to the south of the country, and gainedEast Renfrewshire on the outskirts ofGlasgow.
The Conservatives also took a majority of seats in the North East of Scotland, gaining formerFirst Minister of ScotlandAlex Salmond'sGordon constituency, alongsideMoray, the seat of the SNP's Westminster leaderAngus Robertson. Other gains for the party in the North East includedAberdeen South;Angus;Banff and Buchan; andWest Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. The party took theOchil and South Perthshire; andStirling constituencies in central Scotland and missed out to the SNP inPerth and North Perthshire by just 21 votes.
The Scottish Conservatives retained theirsingle seat in theEuropean Parliament at the2019 European Parliament election. Incumbent MEPNosheena Mobarik was reelected.[21]
On 29 August 2019, Davidson stood down citing several political and personal reasons for her decision to resign as leader.[22][23]
The Scottish Conservatives lost more than half of their seats in Scotland to theScottish National Party in theDecember 2019 general election, with a 3.5% swing away from the party.[24][25]The lost seats wereAberdeen South;Angus;Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock;East Renfrewshire;Gordon;Ochil and South Perthshire; andStirling.
Douglas Ross led the Scottish Conservatives into the2021 Scottish Parliament election. The party lost two constituencies it was defending (Ayr andEdinburgh Central) to the SNP but retained the remainder of its constituency seats with an increased vote share in some which political analysts attributed in-part to tactical voting from Unionists and credited this with preventing the SNP from gaining an overall majority. The Scottish Conservatives also came close to winningBanffshire and Buchan Coast.[26] The party also saw its highest result to date on the regional list with 23.5% of the vote, while losing 0.1% in the constituency vote. The Scottish Conservatives ultimately obtained 31 seats, the same as their result in the 2016 election, and remained in opposition at Holyrood.[27][28][29]
The Scottish Conservatives lost 63 seats at the2022 Scottish local elections, shedding 5.6% of the vote and taking their total first preference vote to 19.7% in what was their worst performance electorally in nearly a decade. Some of their heaviest loses occurred in Glasgow, where their total representation went from 8 councillors to 2, and Perth & Kinross, where they lost 3 councillors and control of the council to theScottish National Party. They also lost control of East Dunbartonshire and Angus, where they were in coalition with theScottish Liberal Democrats, again to theScottish National Party, who attracted a record share of the vote and councillors across Scotland.[30] Douglas Ross blamed the poor performance onPartygate, while others said his leadership was partly to blame, due to his unclear stance on whether he supported Boris Johnson remaining in office or not.
Following the 2022 local elections, the Scottish Conservatives fortunes did not turn around. Much like the UK wide Conservative Party, the party have been struggling with low polling followingBoris Johnson andLiz Truss' premiership controversies, with two polls in December 2022 showing support for the party plummeting to 13%, behindScottish Labour who were averaging 25% and theScottish National Party averaging 50%, along with rising support forScottish Independence.[31] Douglas Ross' leadership authority suffered due to him u-turning on a number of policies, including scrapping the 45p tax rate, which he supported then supported the scrapping of the policy. Scottish Conservative MSP's were reported to have wanted to oust him due to the low polling and multiple u-turns, but it was subsequently revealed there isn't a mechanism in place for the Scottish Conservatives to oust their leader.[32]
Some Scottish Conservatives supportedBoris Johnson,[33] butDouglas Ross called on him to resign.[34]
On 12 October 2023, MPLisa Cameron defected to the Conservatives, becoming the first elected representative tocross the floor to a unionist party from the SNP. She cited a "toxic and bullying" culture in her former party that led to her defection.[35][36]
In the2024 general election, the Scottish Conservatives performed poorly across Scotland with 15 lostelection deposits.[37] Their vote share was almost halved, down 12.3 percentage points to 12.9%.[38] LeaderDouglas Ross lost his seat to the SNP.[39] However against the national trend, the party saw success withHarriet Cross winningGordon and Buchan unseatingRichard Thomson from the SNP.[40]
The Scottish Conservatives are acentre-right[41][42] toright-wing,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]conservative[51] political party, with a commitment to Scotlandremaining a part of the United Kingdom. It is autonomous from the UK Conservative Party in its leadership, internal structure and the creation of policy in devolved areas. In August 2006, the-then Leader of the Conservative Party,David Cameron, said that the party should recognise "that the policies of Conservatives in Scotland and Wales will not always be the same as our policies in England" and that the "West Lothian question must be answered from aUnionist perspective".[52] Presently, the Scottish Conservatives refer to themselves as a "patriotic, unionist party of the Scottish centre-right" that stands for "Scotland's place in the UK, equal opportunity, enterprise and growth, localism and community and the rights of victims and the police in our justice system."[53]
Although aligned to the UK-wide Conservatives, it has in certain areas adopted different policy positions. Following the Sutherland Report in 1999, the party voted with theScottish Executive in 2002 to introduce free personal care for the elderly funded from general taxation.
LikeScottish Labour and theScottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish Conservatives are opposed to Scottish independence but have often been regarded as the most staunchly pro-Unionist of the three parties. Generally, the Scottish Conservatives favour a more business friendly environment in Scotland, increase funding for the police and frontline workers,[citation needed] enact stricter law & order policies to tackle violent crime, drug and alcohol misuse, and give more support to Scotland's rural communities.[citation needed] The party has evolved to support Scottish devolution[citation needed] but has argued successive SNP administrations in Scotland have not made a constructive use of devolved powers to benefit ordinary people and have encouraged waste or corruption through devolution. Although opposed to policies that could further Scottish independence, the Scottish Conservatives support aspects of financial devolution and devolving more powers to local communities in Scotland.[54][failed verification][55][failed verification]
At the2019 general election, the Scottish Conservatives pledged opposition to aproposed second Scottish independence referendum, delivering onBrexit and to strengthen theUnited Kingdom.[56][57] They lost half their seats at the election. In 2021, ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections, the party argued that Scotland should focus on economic recovery following theCOVID-19 pandemic.[58]
The Party is governed by a Party Management Board convened by the Party Chairman, currentlyAlasdair Locke. The management board also consists of the party leader, conference convener, honorary secretary, treasurer and three regional conveners representing the north, east and west of Scotland areas. These are:[59]
The party leader is elected by members on a one-member-one-vote basis, with the chairman appointed by the Scottish leader after consultation with the UK party leader. The Conference convener is a voluntary officer elected by members at the party's annual conference who must have been a former regional convener, and is responsible for chairing the conference and the party's convention.[60]
The position of Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party was created in 2011. The new position of Scottish party leader was created following the recommendations of the Sanderson Commission.[61] The position of leader is currently held byRussell Findlay
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Ruth Davidson | 4 November 2011 | 29 August 2019 | |
| Jackson Carlaw was interim leader during this period | |||||
| 2 |  | Jackson Carlaw | 14 February 2020 | 30 July 2020 | |
| 3 |  | Douglas Ross | 5 August 2020 | 27 September 2024 | |
| 4 | .jpg) | Russell Findlay | 27 September 2024 | Incumbent | |
The position of Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament was originally created in 1999 and used until 2011 when the position of Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party was created. However, as a result ofDouglas Ross being appointed as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in August 2020 and then not being a MSP but instead being an MP within the House of Commons,Ruth Davidson took on the role of Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament at First Ministers Questions.
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | David McLetchie | 6 May 1999 | 31 October 2005 | |
| Annabel Goldie was interim leader during this period | |||||
| 2 |  | Annabel Goldie | 8 November 2005 | 4 November 2011 | |
| 3 | | Ruth Davidson | 11 August 2020 | 5 May 2021 | |
The position ofDeputy Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party was held byJackson Carlaw from 1992 to 1998 andAnnabel Goldie from 1998 until herelection as leader in 2005, after which the position listed below was created. The deputy leadership position was abolished shortly afterDouglas Ross was appointed Scottish Conservative leader but was reinstated following on from the Scottish Conservative's poor performance at the2022 Scottish local elections whereMeghan Gallacher was given the position.[62]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Murdo Fraser | 31 October 2005 | 10 November 2011 |
| 2 | | Jackson Carlaw | 10 November 2011 | 3 September 2019 |
| 3 |  | Liam Kerr | 3 September 2019 | 12 August 2020 |
| 4 |  | Annie Wells | 14 February 2020 | 12 August 2020 |
| 5 | .jpg) | Meghan Gallacher | 9 May 2022 | 16 August 2024 |
| 6 |  | Rachael Hamilton | 28 September 2024 | Incumbent |
The party's registered headquarters is at Scottish Conservative Central Office (SCCO), 67 Northumberland Street,Edinburgh. Between 2001 and 2010, SCCO was housed in an office on Princes Street.[63]
The party's central staff is headed by the Director of the Party, currently James Tweedie, who serves as its chief executive. There are also three campaign managers appointed to three defined regions of Scotland.
The front bench formulates the party's policy on issuesdevolved to theScottish Parliament.
| Member of the Scottish Parliament | Constituency or Region | First elected | Current Role[64] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Findlay | West Scotland | 2021 | Leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party |
| Rachael Hamilton | Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | 2016 | Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party |
| Murdo Fraser | Mid Scotland and Fife | 2001 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Business, Economy, Tourism and Culture |
| Craig Hoy | Lothian | 2021 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government |
| Douglas Lumsden | North East Scotland | 2021 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy |
| Sandesh Gulhane | Glasgow | 2021 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care |
| Liam Kerr | North East Scotland | 2016 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice |
| Liz Smith | Mid Scotland and Fife | 2007 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Security |
| Miles Briggs | Lothian | 2016 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills |
| Tim Eagle | Highlands and Islands | 2024 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Fishing |
| Sue Webber | Lothain | 2021 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport |
| Meghan Gallacher | Central Scotland | 2021 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Housing |
| Alexander Burnett | Aberdeenshire West | 2016 | Chief Whip |
| No. | Name | Date Ennobled |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Earl of Caithness | 1970 (Hereditary) |
| 2. | Lord Glenarthur | 1977 (Hereditary) |
| 3. | Earl of Dundee | 1983 (Hereditary) |
| 4. | Lord Strathclyde | 1986 (Hereditary) |
| 5. | Earl of Lindsay | 1990 (Hereditary) |
| 6. | Duke of Montrose | 1995 (Hereditary) |
| 7. | Earl of Home | 1996 (Hereditary) |
| 8. | Lord Selkirk of Douglas | 1997 |
| 9. | Lord Lamont of Lerwick | 1998 |
| 10. | Lord Forsyth of Drumlean | 1999 |
| 11. | Earl Cathcart | 2007 (Hereditary) |
| 12. | Viscount Younger of Leckie | 2010 (Hereditary) |
| 13. | Lord Livingston of Parkhead | 2013 |
| 14. | Baroness Goldie | 2013 |
| 15. | Baroness Mobarik | 2014 |
| 16. | Lord Keen of Elie | 2015 |
| 17. | Lord Fairfax of Cameron | 2015 (Hereditary) |
| 18. | Lord Duncan of Springbank | 2017 |
| 19. | Lord Stewart of Dirleton | 2020 |
| 20. | Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie | 2021 |
| 21. | Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links | 2021 |
| 22. | Lord Offord of Garvel | 2021 |
| 23. | Lord Douglas-Miller | 2023 |
| 24. | Lord Cameron of Lochiel | 2024 |
| 25. | Lord Jack of Courance | 2025 |
| 26. | Lord Gove | 2025 |
In 2017, the Scottish Conservatives became the second-largestpolitical party in Scotland in terms of democratic representation in theScottish Parliament (following the2016 Scottish Parliament election), constituencies in Scotland in the UKHouse of Commons (following the2017 snap election) and inlocal government in Scotland (following the 2017 local elections), finishing in second place behind theScottish National Party and overtaking the once dominantScottish Labour.
| Election | Leader | Scotland | Government | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Pos. | ||
| 1835 | Robert Peel | 15,733 | 37.2 | 15 / 53 |  5 |  2nd | Opposition | |
| 1837 | 18,569 | 46.0 | 20 / 53 | 5 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1841 | 9,793 | 38.3 | 20 / 53 | | 2nd | Majority[b] | ||
| 1847 | Earl of Derby | 3,509 | 18.3 | 20 / 53 | | 2nd | Opposition[c] | |
| 1852 | 6,955 | 27.4 | 20 / 53 | | 2nd | Majority[d] | ||
| 1857 | 4,060 | 15.2 | 14 / 53 |  6 | 2nd | Opposition[e] | ||
| 1859 | 2,616 | 33.6 | 13 / 53 | 1 | 2nd | Minority[f] | ||
| 1865 | 4,305 | 14.6 | 11 / 53 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition[g] | ||
| 1868[h] | Benjamin Disraeli | 28,072 | 17.8 | 7 / 60 | 4 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1874[h] | 63,193 | 29.9 | 20 / 60 | 13 | 2nd | Majority | ||
| 1880[h] | 80,113 | 28.7 | 8 / 60 | 12 | 2nd | Opposition[i] | ||
| 1885[h] | Lord Salisbury | 153,977 | 34.1 | 10 / 72 | 2 | 2nd | Minority[j] | |
| 1886[k] | 164,314 | 45.9 | 29 / 72 | 19 | 2nd | Con–Liberal Unionist | ||
| 1892[k] | 209,944 | 44.2 | 21 / 72 | 8 | 2nd | Minority[l] | ||
| 1895[k] | 214,403 | 47.0 | 33 / 72 | 12 | 2nd | Con–Liberal Unionist | ||
| 1900[k] | 237,217 | 48.8 | 38 / 72 | 5 | 1st | Con–Liberal Unionist[m] | ||
| 1906[k] | Arthur Balfour | 234,238 | 38.3 | 12 / 72 | 26 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1910 Jan[k] | 270,117 | 39.9 | 11 / 72 | 1 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1910 Dec[k] | 244,785 | 42.4 | 12 / 72 | 1 | 2nd | Opposition[n] | ||
| 1918[o] | Bonar Law | 365,474 | 32.1 | 34 / 74 | 22 | 1st | Coalition Lib–Con | |
| 1922[p] | 379,396 | 25.1 | 15 / 74 | 19 | 3rd | Majority | ||
| 1923[p] | Stanley Baldwin | 468,526 | 31.6 | 16 / 74 | 1 | 3rd | Opposition | |
| 1924[p] | 699,268 | 40.3 | 38 / 74 | 22 | 1st | Majority | ||
| 1929[p] | 807,777 | 35.6 | 22 / 74 | 16 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1931[q] | 1,056,768 | 48.6 | 50 / 74 | 28 | 1st | Con–Lib–National Labour | ||
| 1935[q] | 978,326 | 41.6 | 37 / 72 | 13 | 1st | Con–Lib–National Labour | ||
| 1945[q] | Winston Churchill | 879,567 | 36.3 | 25 / 74 | 12 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1950[r] | 1,222,010 | 44.8 | 31 / 70 | 3[s] | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1951[r] | 1,349,298 | 48.6 | 35 / 72 | 4 | 1st | Majority | ||
| 1955[r] | Anthony Eden | 1,273,942 | 50.1 | 36 / 72 | 1 | 1st | Majority | |
| 1959[r] | Harold Macmillan | 1,260,287 | 47.3 | 31 / 72 | 5 | 2nd | Majority | |
| 1964[r] | Alec Douglas-Home | 1,069,695 | 40.6 | 24 / 72 | 7 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1966 | Edward Heath | 960,675 | 37.7 | 20 / 72 | 4 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1970 | 1,020,674 | 38.0 | 23 / 72 | 3 | 2nd | Majority | ||
| 1974 Feb | 950,668 | 32.9 | 21 / 72 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1974 Oct | 681,327 | 24.7 | 16 / 72 | 5 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1979 | Margaret Thatcher | 916,155 | 31.4 | 22 / 72 | 6 | 2nd | Majority | |
| 1983 | 801,487 | 28.4 | 21 / 72 | 1 | 2nd | Majority | ||
| 1987 | 713,081 | 24.0 | 10 / 72 | 11 | 2nd | Majority | ||
| 1992 | John Major | 751,950 | 25.6 | 11 / 72 | 1 | 2nd | Majority | |
| 1997 | 493,059 | 17.5 | 0 / 72 | 11 | 4th | Opposition | ||
| 2001 | William Hague | 360,658 | 15.6 | 1 / 72 | 1 | 4th | Opposition | |
| 2005 | Michael Howard | 369,388 | 15.8 | 1 / 59 | | 4th | Opposition | |
| 2010 | David Cameron | 412,855 | 16.7 | 1 / 59 | | 4th | Con–LD | |
| 2015 | Ruth Davidson | 434,097 | 14.9 | 1 / 59 | | 3rd | Majority | |
| 2017 | Theresa May | 757,949 | 28.6 | 13 / 59 | 12 | 2nd | Minority[t] | |
| 2019 | Jackson Carlaw | Boris Johnson | 692,939 | 25.1 | 6 / 59 | 7 | 2nd | Majority |
| 2024 | Douglas Ross | Rishi Sunak | 307,344 | 12.7 | 5 / 57 | 1 | 4th | Opposition |
| Election | Leader | Constituency | Regional | Total seats | +/– | Pos. | Government | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||||||
| 1999 | David McLetchie | 364,425 | 15.6 | 0 / 73 | 359,109 | 15.3 | 18 / 56 | 18 / 129 | | 3rd | Opposition |
| 2003 | 318,279 | 16.6 | 3 / 73 | 296,929 | 15.5 | 15 / 56 | 18 / 129 | | 3rd | Opposition | |
| 2007 | Annabel Goldie | 334,743 | 16.6 | 4 / 73 | 284,035 | 13.9 | 13 / 56 | 17 / 129 | 1 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 2011 | 276,652 | 13.9 | 3 / 73 | 245,967 | 12.4 | 12 / 56 | 15 / 129 | 2 | 3rd | Opposition | |
| 2016 | Ruth Davidson | 501,844 | 22.0 | 7 / 73 | 524,222 | 22.9 | 24 / 56 | 31 / 129 | 16 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2021 | Douglas Ross | 592,526 | 21.9 | 5 / 73 | 637,131 | 23.5 | 26 / 56 | 31 / 129 | | 2nd | Opposition |
TheLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973 established a two-tier system ofregions and districts (except in the islands, which were given unitary, all-purpose councils). It replaced thecounties,burghs, and districts established by theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1947,[65] which were largely based on units of local government dating from theMiddle Ages.
| District councils | Regional and island councils | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Votes | Seats | Councils | Election | Votes | Seats | Councils | ||
| % | Pos. | % | Pos. | ||||||
| 1974 | 26.8 | 2nd | 241 / 1,110 | 6 / 53 | 1974 | 28.6 | 2nd | 112 / 432 | 1 / 12 |
| 1977 | 27.2 | 2nd | 259 / 1,158 | 8 / 53 | 1978 | 30.3 | 2nd | 136 / 431 | 2 / 12 |
| 1980 | 24.1 | 2nd | 232 / 1,158 | 6 / 53 | 1982 | 25.1 | 2nd | 119 / 524 | 2 / 12 |
| 1984 | 21.4 | 2nd | 189 / 1,158 | 4 / 53 | 1986 | 16.9 | 3rd | 65 / 524 | 0 / 12 |
| 1988 | 19.4 | 3rd | 162 / 1,158 | 3 / 53 | 1990 | 19.2 | 3rd | 52 / 524 | 0 / 12 |
| 1992 | 23.2 | 3rd | 204 / 1,158 | 4 / 53 | 1994 | 13.7 | 3rd | 31 / 453 | 0 / 12 |
The two-tier system of local government lasted until 1 April 1996 when theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 came into effect, abolishing the regions and districts and replacing them with 32 unitary authorities. Elections for the new mainland unitary authorities were first contested in1995. TheLocal Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 switched the electoral system for Scottish local elections fromfirst past the post (FPTP) tosingle transferable vote (STV), beginning in2007.
| Election | Leader | 1st Pref Votes | Councillors | Councils | Pos. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Majorities | +/- | |||
| 1995[u] | 196,109 | 11.5 | 82 / 1,155 | N/A | 0 / 29 | N/A | 4th | |
| 1999 | 308,170 | 13.5 | 108 / 1,222 | 26 | 0 / 32 | | 4th | |
| 2003 | 282,895 | 15.1 | 122 / 1,222 | 14 | 0 / 32 | | 4th | |
| 2007 | 327,591 | 15.6 | 143 / 1,222 | 21 | 0 / 32 | | 4th | |
| 2012 | Ruth Davidson | 206,599 | 13.3 | 115 / 1,222 | 28 | 0 / 32 | | 3rd |
| 2017 | 478,073 | 25.3 | 276 / 1,227 | 161 | 0 / 32 | | 2nd | |
| 2022 | Douglas Ross | 364,824 | 19.7 | 214 / 1,226 | 63 | 0 / 32 | | 3rd |
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During theUnited Kingdom'smembership of theEuropean Union (1973–2020),Scotland participated inEuropean Parliament elections, held every five years from1979 until2019.[66] Elections between1979 and1994 were contested under thefirst past the post (FPTP) electoral system. TheEuropean Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 introduced a closed-listparty list system method ofproportional representation and asingle Scotland-wide electoral region, which came into effect in1999.
| Election | Leader | Scotland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | % | Seats | +/– | Pos. | |
| 1979 | Margaret Thatcher | 33.7 | 5 / 8 | 1st | ||
| 1984 | 25.8 | 2 / 8 | 3 | 2nd | ||
| 1989 | 20.9 | 1 / 8 | 1 | 3rd | ||
| 1994 | John Major | 14.5 | 0 / 8 | 1 | 3rd | |
| 1999 | William Hague | 19.8 | 2 / 8 | 2 | 3rd | |
| 2004 | Michael Howard | 17.8 | 2 / 7 | | 3rd | |
| 2009 | David Cameron | 16.8 | 1 / 6 | 1 | 3rd | |
| 2014 | Ruth Davidson | 17.2 | 1 / 6 | | 3rd | |
| 2019 | Theresa May | 11.6 | 1 / 6 | | 4th | |
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)...the Conservative Party's history in incorporating ethnic minorities, and the recent post-racial turn within the party whereby increasing party diversity has coincided with an increasing turn to the Right
right-wing parties are also increasing the presence of women within their ranks. Prominent female European leaders include Theresa May (until recently) and Angela Merkel, from the right-wing Conservative Party in the UK and the Christian Democratic Party in Germany respectively. This article examines the extent to which women in right-wing parties are similar to their male colleagues, or whether they have a set of distinctive opinions on a range of issues
In particular, there is a clear partisan division between the main left-wing party (Labour) and political parties with pronounced pro-market preferences, such as the right-wing Conservative Party
...alignment to the Liberal Democrats (centre to left wing) and the Green Party (left wing) are positively associated with charitable behaviour at both the extensive and intensive margins, relative to being aligned with the right wing Conservative Party.
the right-wing Conservative Party in government supported TTIP...This logic reproduced also a government-opposition dynamic, whereby the right-wing Conservative Party championed the agreement
