To Scotland, where the Scottish Conservatives are facing problems of their own. North of the border, a leadership contest is looming after outgoing leader Douglas Ross announced his resignation mid-campaign. Since then there have been animated discussions about who his successor will be. And while contenders for the UK party are already making their mark, their Scottish counterparts look set for a fiery leadership race too.
Current justice spokesperson Russell Findlay MSP is seen by many as the obvious choice, and his colleague Rachael Hamilton has warmly endorsed him – but others in the party have expressed support for potential rival candidate Murdo Fraser. The MSP for the region of Mid Scotland and Fife made a leadership bid back in 2011 where he ran on a ‘renewal and change’ agenda, and was a firm advocate of separating the Scottish group from the UK party to create a new centre-right force. Despite receiving criticism from ex-MP Liam Fox and Conservative peer Lord Forsyth at the time, Mr S has heard whisperings that Fraser may be keen to resurrect the proposal now. The idea doesn’t excite everyone, however…
Former Tory MP Ross Thomson has hit out at the plan and told its supporters to quit the party altogether if they want to set up an alternative. ‘The proponents of this separation fantasy demonstrate alarming levels of arrogance and delusion,’ he fumed. The Mail reports that fellow Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr is rather sceptical of the notion, insistent that ‘there’s no persuasive argument that I am aware of to start a new party’. And Andrew Bowie MP was rather scathing on the Beeb, adamant that ‘the question about a separate Scottish party frankly is for the birds’. Ouch.
Yet there is support for the idea at a local level, with one Scottish Tory councillor telling Steerpike: ‘The arguments are no different now [than in 2011] but the atmosphere seems different. 2026 could be brutal for the party.’ How curious. But conversation about a literal split in the party is causing tensions in the group to rise – and senior figures in the group have now issued a call for calm as fears that the looming leadership race could be as unedifying as the SNP contest. ‘We’re all on the same side, so let’s act like it,’ Findlay advised MSPs. The first big test of his authority is whether his colleagues will listen…
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