Ruth Davidson will join the House of Lords on Tuesday amid accusation from the SNP that she has “sold out” to Boris Johnson.
Davidson will take the title Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, the village in Fife where she grew up.
The former Scottish Conservative Leader will be introduced in the un-elected Upper Chamber by Mark McInnes a former director of the Scottish Conservatives who is now an adviser to Boris Johnson and Richard Keen, former Chairman of the Scottish Conservatives and former Advocate General.
Davidson said she would take the role in the Lords seriously although opponents accused her of “selling out” to Brexiteer Johnson whose leadership bid for the party she had opposed.
Davidson said: “This is important work and it’s vital that it is undertaken by a mix of people from all backgrounds and all parts of the country. I hope to take all of the experience I’ve gained over the last decade in Holyrood and put it to good use in my new role."
She added: “I am keen to make a contribution in areas of importance to me such as gambling reform, end of life choices and the constitution, and pledge to work with members from all parties and none in reforming the House of Lords into a democratic chamber.“
But an SNP spokesman said: “The leader responsible for a Scottish Tory operation to keep Boris Johnson out of Downing Street has now fully sold out, having been bought by his gift of a lucrative lifetime seat in the Lords.”
“It’s questionable whether the good Fifers of Lundin Links will appreciate being associated with such an insult to democracy as the unelected Lords.
“And given the appalling stench of sleaze that surrounds Ruth Davidson’s Westminster colleagues, perhaps a better title would be Baroness Davidson of dodgy links.”
Davidson stood down as leader of the Scottish Conservatives in August 2019 after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister after eight years as leader of the Scottish party.
She stood down from the Edinburgh Central seat in the Scottish parliament at the Holyrood elections in May.
The Conservatives have highlighted that Davidson is the fifth former Scottish party leader to be appointed to the House of Lords after Jack McConnell (Lab), Jim Wallace and Nicol Stephen (Lib Dem), and Annabel Goldie (Con).
There is one current MSP, Labour’s Katy Clark (Lab), who is a member of the House of Lords though she took a leave of absence after being elected to Holyrood.
