Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, has declared herself a “John Major”-style Conservative, after leading the party to its best election result in Scotland for almost 60 years.

Ms Davidson described how she wanted the Tories to stand up for ordinary people who work hard to improve their lives in order to show that the party can aim to win power in Scotland in the future.

In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, the down-to-earth former BBC journalist said she had “opened up” the party and that it now no longer mattered which school or background members and supporters came from.

“I’m a John Major Conservative,” she said. “That is always what Conservatism was about for me – it’s about clearing obstacles away from people, empowering people and using education as a means of bettering themselves.”

Last week, Ms Davidson led the Tories to their most impressive poll result for decades north of the border, beating Labour for the first time since 1959 to become the main party of opposition in the SNP-dominated Scottish Parliament.

Her triumphant result – which she conceded was far better than she had dared to hope before polling day – was the high point for the Tories from last week’s, council, mayoral, and devolved government elections.

The party is mired in a bitter row over the allegedly “nasty” tactics that were deployed in the election for Mayor of London.

Zac Goldsmith’s campaign to succeed Boris Johnson, which was built on claims that his Labour rival Sadiq Khan had a history of links to extremists, ended in failure, with the Conservatives losing control of City Hall after eight years in power.

Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded David Cameron’s shock general election victory last year, has been criticised for his company’s oversight of Mr Goldsmith’s campaign in London.

But his firm – Crosby Textor Fullbrook – also provided the polling research that underpinned Ms Davidson’s success in Scotland. The Conservatives also targeted the votes of a group of women who did not like Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, or her Scottish National Party.

They used Facebook to target these female voters, emulating the internet campaign techniques that the Tories used successfully during last year’s general election.

In the interview, Ms Davidson said the Conservatives were now a party where ordinary working people could feel at home. “I come from a blue collar background,” she said.

“My parents were raised in Glasgow council estates. I’ve opened our party up and demonstrated it doesn’t matter where you come from or which school you went to.

“I want people who work hard and are rooted in our communities. When I became leader the biggest change I made was completely clearing out our candidates and we now see 24 new faces.

“I don’t like prima donnas. I really want grafters in our party.”

She insisted that what she has done with the Scottish Conservatives is not revolutionary as the party has “always been a broad church”. Ms Davidson named the Cabinet ministers Stephen Crabb, who grew up on a council estate, and Patrick McLoughlin, a former miner, as examples of successful working-class Tories.

But she warned that the Conservatives were still “on probation” in Scotland and must now prove to voters that they will stand up to Nicola Sturgeon’s dominant Scottish National Party in the Holyrood Parliament. Only then would the Tory revival take root, she said.

“I’m really aware that people who are not Conservatives voted for us. They didn’t do it because they love the Conservative Party. A lot of people felt conflicted. I’ve a duty of responsibility to do the job we promised them we would do.”

Five years ago, at the last set of Holyrood elections, the Conservatives suffered their worst result, winning only 15 seats. While she was confident she could make gains, Ms Davidson said Thursday night’s tally of 31 MSPs had been far beyond her most optimistic target, which she said was 25.

Ms Davidson said the 2014 Scottish independence referendum had helped break down traditional party tribalism in Scotland, making the Tories a legitimate option for Unionists again.

Politics in Scotland has become “transactional”, with more voters willing to back any party in an election based on the specific pledges they are making, she said. Ms Davidson said the clarity of the Conservative offer of providing strong opposition on a specific number of areas was “quite striking”.

“We still have a job of work to do. I completely understand lots of people voted for us for the first time. We’re on probation and we want to do well by them. These are very mobile votes and they can be taken elsewhere pretty quickly. One good election doesn’t make a revival.”

In the longer term, she said the Scottish Tories will have to present themselves as an alternative government to the SNP but “only if we do the job of opposition well.”