Challenging Theresa May’s vision of Brexit Britain : Ruth Davidson and the 2017 UK general election

Abstract

Far from giving Theresa May the mandate she needed to pursue her ‘vision of Brexit’, the outcome of the June 2017 general election was a reduced Conservative majority and the formation of a minority government after an agreement with the DUP. Most surprisingly, disaster was avoided for the Conservatives thanks to the unexpected addition of thirteen Scottish Conservative seats. This was quite extraordinary as Scottish Conservative MPs had become conspicuous by their absence in Parliament since the 1980s. As Theresa May narrowly avoided losing a majority in the UK, the little nationally known Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. While May had gambled that the Brexit fault line would trump traditional partisan sympathies, Davidson had bet that the constitutional issue in Scotland would phase out both the issue of Brexit and partisan sympathies. Our analysis of the evolution of the Scottish Conservative party under Ruth Davidson’s leadership will therefore seek to shed some light on the reasons behind the unexpected resurgence of the Scottish Conservatives at the June 2017 general election.