Tory leadership hopeful Michelle Ballantyne defends benefits stance

Michelle Ballantyne said the benefits system has to ensure fairness

The MSP who hopes to challenge Jackson Carlaw for the Scottish Conservative leadership has defended her views on people on benefits having children.

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme Michelle Ballantyne said "people can have as many children as they like".

But she insisted there was a question of fairness to people who are in work.

Ms Ballantyne must secure the support of 100 party members to enter the contest officially.

She has previously defended the "two-child limit" introduced to the benefits system under Universal Credit.

In 2018 she told the Scottish Parliament that "people on benefit cannot have as many children as they like while people who work and pay their way and don't claim benefits have to make decisions about the number of children they can have".

In the interview on her leadership bid, she told presenter Gary Robertson: "What I said is that we need a level playing field. So people who are in work need to have the same opportunities as people who aren't in work."

Family income

Ms Ballantyne said she was not telling people whether they should have children but "it's about having a family income".

"You can't go to your employer and say 'I've just decided to have another baby so could I have a pay rise please'.

"So this is about fairness."

Ms Davidson stood down saying having a son had led her to re-evaluate her priorities

If she secures the required support from members, Ms Ballantyne would join Jackson Carlaw in a contest to replace Ruth Davidson as Scottish Conservative leader.

Ms Davidson resigned in August 2019, citing changes in her personal life and "conflict" over Brexit.

Mr Carlaw has been the party's interim leader since Ms Davidson's departure.

Grassroots members

A number of MSPs and MPs have backed Mr Carlaw to take over on a permanent basis, but Ms Ballantyne said she was concentrating on winning support in the wider party.

"I don't know yet about the MSPs and the MPs," she said. "But what I do know is that it's the grassroots, it's the membership that have been coming out in support for me so far and they're the people that I'm talking to.

"They're the people that really matter actually because we work for them."

Ms Ballantyne, the party's social security spokeswoman at Holyrood, has said it was important for the Scottish Conservatives to have a real contest for the leadership, not a "coronation" with only person considered for the job.

Nominations close on 17 January. If there is a vote, the result will be announced on 14 February.

Ms Ballantyne said her record of creating a manufacturing business, heading a charity and working in the health service would win support.

She added: "I do it and don't just talk about it. I'm not a virtue signaller."