DEFEATIST Tories panned by Ruth Davidson for failing to campaign for the Euro Elections — and told to “fight harder”. The Scottish Conservative leader said it was “pretty disappointing” that some MPs — faced with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party — had decided not to expend any effort on the contest. And she cited the party’s […]
DEFEATIST Tories panned by Ruth Davidson for failing to campaign for the Euro Elections — and told to “fight harder”.
The Scottish Conservative leader said it was “pretty disappointing” that some MPs — faced with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party — had decided not to expend any effort on the contest.
And she cited the party’s comeback north of the border as a reason why they should “do their duty”.
It came amid reports party chairman Brandon Lewis had told Conservative MEP candidates they had no chance of winning a seat on May 23.
Separately Downing Street refused to say whether Theresa May would do any campaigning before next week’s poll.
But Ms Davidson — who helped the Tories bag 12 seats from the SNP in the 2017 General Election — said the party should attack the Euro campaign with “vim and vigour”.
Referring to claims Tory MPs in England were not lifting a finger, she said: “I would say to some colleagues down south who are perhaps choosing not to campaign that that’s pretty disappointing.
“I think that as Conservatives and in the privileged position that we are, to be elected to parliament and be in a leadership position, it’s our job to lead.
“Just because the fights harder that means that you have to fight harder, it doesn’t mean you give up.”
She said it wasn’t long ago that people were arguing the Scottish Tories should “pack up shop” but “we’ve come a really long way”.
The comments echo a rallying cry from Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd on Tuesday night, where she urged Tories to “stand your ground” against extremist parties from the left and the right.
Speaking at a think tank launch she said: “We need to make sure we fill that middle.
“And we fill it not just with what people sometimes call moderation – we fill it with our ideas, our thoughts and our own Conservative momentum of what we think we can change and what we can do because if we leave that vacuum there will be consequences.”
