Scotland’s gay Tory leader Ruth Davidson splits from her partner

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has split up with her partner of five years Saskia Halcrow, a spokesman has confirmed.

A Scottish Conservative spokesman told the Daily Express: “Sadly, Ruth and her partner separated some two months ago and they are now no longer living together.”

A party insider said: “There is no one else involved. Like many couples with hectic working lives, they have simply grown apart. There is no other explanation.

“They agreed to go their own ways just after the new year.

“Although Ruth is very sad about the split, it is a mutual thing and both want to remain good friends. It has all been very amicable.”

Ms Davidson was the first gay person to become leader of a major UK political party, having been elected to the head of the Scottish Conservatives in 2011.

A strong supporter of marriage equality, she was among a group of 19 senior Tories, including London Mayor Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Michael Gove, who wrote to the Telegraph last year as part of a new equal marriage group made up of prominent Conservatives.

Although the majority of Scottish MPs support marriage equality, the Scottish Conservative Party remains largely opposed, with only Ms Davidson and her Deputy Jackson Carlaw registering their support in a June 2012 survey.

At the Stonewall Awards in November 2012, Ms Davidson was named ‘Politician of the Year’, but was booed off the stage after she criticised Stonewall for having a ‘Bigot of the Year’ category in their awards.

She said it was wrong to use the term “bigot” and that it was important to “respect people who have a different view”.

Stonewall named Cardinal Keith O’Brien as ‘Bigot of the Year’ due to his outspoken opposition to marriage equality.

Upon nominating the cardinal, Stonewall wrote on its website: “Keith O’Brien has been a prominent opponent of marriage equality and made headlines with deeply offensive comments about same-sex couples”.

Stonewall added: “Under his leadership the Catholic Church in Scotland has pledged to ‘declare war’ on marriage equality and has committed an additional £100,000 for the fight”.

On Monday, Cardinal O’Brien resigned as leader of the Scottish Catholic Church, amid a wave of allegations concerning “inappropriate behaviour” towards male priests.

The 74-year-old denied the first set of allegations, dating back to the 1980s, last weekend.

On Friday, a fifth claim of “inappropriate behaviour” was made by a priest dating back to an alleged incident in 2001.

• Nov 29 2023

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