As Conservative MPs start to declare their candidacy for the Tory leadership race, north of the border conversations are heating up about who the next Scottish group leader will be. As Mr S wrote on Monday, so far the first official contender is justice spokesperson Russell Findlay – who announced his bid by penning a lengthy op-ed for the Scottish Daily Mail.
But as other potential rivals consider their positions, now former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has waded into the matter. As debate about the future of the party continues, Baroness Davidson of London Links has warned that splitting the Scottish group from the UK party would be ‘electoral suicide’. The ex-leader told the Mail:
I’ve never believed in breaking up the party. And, in Scotland, a divided party is a short route to electoral suicide. Splitting apart will alienate many members, activists and supporters. You’re either a Conservative and Unionist or you’re not… A split party is still a split party, however you slice it.
Davidson’s cautionary remarks come after potential candidate Murdo Fraser spoke to the Holyrood Sources podcast this week about what comes next for his party. A one-time leadership candidate in 2011, Fraser ran on a campaign of separating the Scottish party from its UK counterpart. This week the MSP told podcasters that he still believes the Scottish Tories should break from the UK group to form a new centre-right party at Holyrood elections – but conceded the UK party should still contest general elections in Scotland. How curious…
And while the UK party has laid out a timeline for the selection of a new leader, the Scottish group are still rather conflicted on the matter. Findlay’s allies want a speedier race to conclude well before November, while other MSPs have supported a ‘national convention’ in August prior to the start of official leadership campaigns. Meanwhile rules for staffers hoping to get involved have been laid out – and they look rather strict. As reported by the Times, if central office staff want to back a candidate, the rules dictate they must take paid leave. But if press and research unit staff want to get behind a contender, they will have to, um, resign their current roles to do so. Crikey.
Fraser is thought to be still deciding whether he will make a bid for the leadership, and while Findlay is the only official candidate so far other likely contenders include deputy leader Meghan Gallacher and transport spokesperson Graham Simpson. Backbenchers Stephen Kerr and Jamie Greene are also thought to be in the running, with both having harboured leadership ambitions in the past – before being rather curiously demoted by Douglas Ross in last summer’s reshuffle. In Westminster, Tory whips have spoken to would-be leadership candidates to warn them to knock off the blue on blue attacks this contest. But with allegations of intimidation already being directed at Findlay’s team, Steerpike isn’t so sure whether the Scottish group will quite manage the same. Watch this space…
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