Russell Findlay, the newly elected leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has warned about the party’s future, citing Reform UK as a significant threat to their electoral prospects.
Findlay emphasized that if the Scottish Tories are to recover from their recent losses, they must re-engage with the tens of thousands of voters who defected to Reform UK during the general election.
“We are acutely conscious of their vote share in the general election and, as leader, it’s our job to reconnect with those people who feel, frankly, scunnered by a lot of politicians, and persuade them that what we stand for represents their interests.”
Russell Findlay
A former crime reporter who transitioned to politics three years ago, Findlay secured 61.7% of the first preference votes, comfortably winning the contest to replace outgoing leader Douglas Ross.
Of the 4,155 Scottish Tory members who voted, 2,565 supported Findlay in the first round, leaving his closest competitor, Murdo Fraser, with 1,187 votes, while Meghan Gallacher, the former deputy leader, garnered 403.
The leadership race was among the most divisive in the party’s recent memory, marred by internal conflicts and public feuding. The discord included bitter clashes between rival camps, a controversy involving Gallacher and shadow Scottish secretary John Lamont, and revelations that Ross had attempted to install Findlay as his successor a year earlier.
Ross’s forced removal of the popular candidate David Duguid, who was recovering from a serious injury, from the nomination for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East further inflamed tensions.
Ross’s decision to nominate himself in Duguid’s place led to the only loss of a Westminster seat that the Scottish Tories were defending. Reform UK’s candidate gained 5,562 votes in that constituency, well above Ross’s margin of defeat by 942 votes to the Scottish National Party candidate.
A Delicate Balance for the Conservatives
Reform UK’s surge in support at the general election — where they claimed 7% of the vote across Scotland — suggests the party could make a successful bid for seats in the 2026 Holyrood elections, likely at the expense of the Conservatives.
While the Tories currently hold 31 seats at Holyrood, their general election vote share plummeted to 12.7%, down from 25.1% in 2019.
Findlay now faces the challenge of striking a delicate balance: winning back defected Reform UK voters without alienating the pro-union, floating voters who backed Labour in the general election.
His leadership campaign received support from former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who praised Findlay’s potential to maintain the one-nation conservative approach she championed during her tenure.
After his election, Findlay acknowledged the balancing act ahead, stating that he intends to keep the party on a center-right course, even if it leads to tensions with the UK Conservative leadership.
Although he preferred to resolve policy disputes privately, Findlay confirmed his opposition to proposals from UK party leadership candidates like Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat, who advocated for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights.
Challenges in Winning Back Reform Voters
Findlay’s closest competitor, Murdo Fraser, a veteran of Scottish Conservative leadership contests, promised to unite behind the new leader. However, Fraser warned that the party’s primary challenge would be understanding why it had lost so many voters to Reform UK.
“I think we will get them back not by chasing Nigel Farage’s agenda, but by looking at people who are disappointed with Conservatives who feel we’ve let them down,” Fraser said.
With Findlay at the helm, the Scottish Conservatives will need to navigate internal divisions and external challenges from Reform UK as they work toward rebuilding their voter base ahead of future elections.
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