Russell Findlay elected as new Scottish Conservatives leader

Russell Findlay was today elected the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives following a 'toxic' contest to replace Douglas Ross.

The former journalist won 2,565 votes to beat rivals Murdo Fraser (1,187 votes), and Meghan Gallacher (403 votes).

Polls closed for Scottish Tory members – of which there are just shy of 7,000 – at noon yesterday, ahead of this morning's announcement of Mr Findlay's victory.

Speaking immediately after he was declared the winning candidate, Mr Findlay issued a call for unity in the wake of a bitter leadership battle.

'Everyone must come together as one united team,' he said. 'Let us start the hard work right now to win back public trust.

'I want to deliver the message to people across Scotland who do not feel that anyone represents them.

'Who are scunnered by the divisiveness and fringe obsessions of the Scottish Parliament who feel let down and failed by politicians of every single party, including ours, who think politicians are all the same.

'I feel that way – I get it, but I'm not the same.'

Earlier this month, a senior party grandee questioned whether the Scottish Conservatives were on the verge of falling apart amid the divsive leadership contest.

Jackson Carlaw, who was Scottish Tory leader between 2019 and 2020, said there was a 'genuine concern' that the party would not be able to unite behind the winning candidate.

He claimed the leadership contest was turning 'toxic' amid the divisions in the party and called for supporters of the three contenders to 'wind their necks in'.

Mr Findlay was elected as MSP for West Scotland in 2021 after decades working as an investigate journalist.

He was once subjected to a doorstep acid attack during his a career as a newspaper reporter, which also saw him write books on gangland crime.

Speaking this morning, Mr Findlay told party members: 'I am not the same, I am not a career politician.

'I understand your frustrations and your sense that nobody really represents the views you share and hold. And that is going to change.

'Under my leadership the Scottish Conservatives are going to change.'

He added: 'We will work hard to earn your trust by doing things differently.

'We will be a voice for decent mainstream Scotland and the values of hard work, self-reliance, and value for taxpayers.'

Mr Findlay will inherit a difficult legacy from Mr Ross, who was driven out of the role.

It followed his decision to stand in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat at July's general election, in place of former MP David Duguid, who was recovering from a spinal stroke.

The decision irked MSPs and party members after Mr Ross had previously said he would stand down from Westminster to focus on Holyrood.

He was forced to announce in the middle of the general election campaign that he would quit as leader after polling day.

The newly-elected Scottish Tory leader will also face a punishing first few days in the role.

As well as an intense media round following the announcement today, a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of devolution is being held at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday, with Mr Findlay due to join others in making a speech before the King and Queen.

Within 24 hours, he will then need to head to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, where he will undertake a number of engagements.

Appointments to his frontbench team are expected to take place next week.

Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme that the leadership election had been 'fractious', after a period when the party has seen its support fall away in the two years running up to the election.

Sir John said: 'We're talking about a party that has got just over 12.5 per cent of the vote in the general election, its worst performance ever.'

The Conservatives won five seats in Scotland at the general election, down from six in 2019.

This saw them finish fourth, in terms of seats won, behind Labour (37 seats), the SNP (nine seats), and Liberal Democrats (six seats).