Scottish Conservative party members have elected Russell Findlay as their new leader after a contentious contest that saw complaints about party interference. Findlay, a former journalist and West of Scotland MSP, comfortably defeated his colleagues Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher by winning 2,565 out of a total of 4,155 votes cast. The election was held after the resignation of Douglas Ross, who stepped down as Scottish leader part-way through the general election campaign.
Findlay said his party needed to change to regain public trust and represent the concerns of voters who felt politicians did not understand their problems. He said he wanted to appeal to “decent mainstream Scotland” and promote values of self-reliance, hard work, and value for taxpayers. He also pledged to be a different kind of politician, saying he would seek to represent those who were “scunnered” with the “fringe obsessions” of the Scottish Parliament.
His opponents praised Findlay on social media and called for unity ahead of the next Holyrood election. However, SNP MSP Kevin Stewart claimed that Findlay had no desire to put Scotland’s interests first. Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, Dame Jackie Baillie, dismissed the Conservative party’s leadership change as mere “deckchair rearrangement”.
Findlay now needs to select his frontbench team, attend the Conservative Party’s conference in Birmingham and deliver a speech before the King and Queen to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of devolution. Electoral expert Prof Sir John Curtice characterised the contest as “fractious” and noted that the Scottish Conservatives were regrouping after their worst-ever general election showing
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