RUTH Davidson has said she will not stand for re-election to the Scottish Parliament in 2021.

The former Scottish Conservative leader told a lunch organised by the Journalists’ Charity in Glasgow yesterday that she would be looking for a new job in 18 months.

Davidson, who represents Edinburgh Central in Holyrood, quit as Scottish Tory leader in August citing conflicts over Brexit and wishing to have more time with her family.

Over the summer she had opposed Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership bid, backing his rival Jeremy Hunt.

She later became embroiled in controversy after it emerged she had accepted a lucrative post for a PR and lobbying company which she intended to combine with her job as an MSP. She later decided not to accept the post for which she would be paid £50,000 for 24 days’ work a year.

Earlier this week she came under fire after signing up to appear on ITV’s General Election night coverage – for an “unprecedented” sum of money.

Broadcast sources told the Herald on Sunday that Davidson had been approached by the BBC only to discover she had already agreed to appear on the broadcaster’s main UK-wide coverage.