New leaders for Scottish Labour and the Conservatives

Labour's Johann Lamont and Conservative Ruth Davidson elected leaders of the main opposition parties in Scotland.

Labour's Johann Lamont and Conservative Ruth Davidson elected leaders of the main opposition parties in Scotland.

The incoming leaders replace Labour's Iain Gray and the Conservatives' Annabel Goldie, who decided to step aside in the wake of the SNP's landslide election victory in May 2011.

Elected in November 2011, 32-year-old Ruth Davidson beat off competition from the party's deputy leader, Murdo Fraser, who was seen as the front runner in the contest. Mr Fraser wanted to rebrand the Conservatives as a new centre-right Scottish party, independent from the UK conservatives.

Mr Davidson, a former BBC journalist who was voted into the Scottish Parliament in May 2011, said she opposes further new powers for Scotland.

Scottish Labour's Johann Lamont, was elected new party leader in december 2011 after narrowly beating Shadow Education Minister Ken Macintosh.

A 54-year-old former teacher and deputy party leader since 2008, Mrs Lamont vowed to change the Labour party and said "we need to reach back into those communities who used to support us and win back the trust and reassure them their faith in us will be repaid."