Former crime journalist Russell Findlay elected new leader of Scottish Conservatives

27 September 2024, 12:13 | Updated: 27 September 2024, 13:28

Russell Findlay has been named the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

The MSP saw off competition from Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher - to replace Douglas Ross.

Mr Findlay has been the party's justice spokesperson at Holyrood.

His investigation into the disappearance and murder of Margaret Fleming was used to help prosecute her killers.

He has pledged that his party will change in order to "win back public trust".

Mr Findlay pledged that under his leadership, the Tories will seek to represent those who are "scunnered" with the "fringe obsessions of the Scottish Parliament" and feel that politicians do not understand the concerns of ordinary voters.

He made the commitment after winning the contest to succeed Douglas Ross, who dramatically quit as Scottish Tory leader mid-way through this summer's general election campaign.

Mr Findlay, a former crime journalist who was elected to Holyrood at the last election in 2021, easily defeated veteran Tory MSP Murdo Fraser and former Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher to win the top job.

In a ballot of the party's 6,941 members in Scotland, and with a turnout of 60%, he secured the votes of 2,565 Tories - placing him well ahead of Mr Fraser, who won 1,187 votes, and Ms Gallacher, who secured 403.

It comes after a leadership contest that had at times been divisive for the Scottish Tories - with Ms Gallacher alleging a "senior member" of the party had been calling members suggesting she was going to quit the race.

After being declared the winner at an event in Edinburgh on Friday, Mr Findlay said the party must now "come together as one united team", adding: "Let's start the hard work right now to win back public trust."

He reached out to voters across Scotland "who don't feel 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", and who "think politicians are all the same".

Mr Findlay said: "If you feel that way, I get it.

"But 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. That is going to change.

"Under my leadership, the Scottish Conservatives are going to change.

"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."

Adding that voters want to see "common sense for a change" from politicians, he added: "We are determined to deliver it."

Mr Findlay is expected to unveil his frontbench team at Holyrood next week - but ahead of that he will deliver a speech in Holyrood on Saturday during a ceremony to be addressed by the King to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.

On Sunday, he will be on stage at the UK Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme prior to the winner being declared that the leadership election had been "fractious", after a period in which the Tories had seen 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% of the vote in the general election, its worst performance ever."

SNP MSP Kevin Stewart said: "The face of Tory politics in Scotland may have changed, but Russell Findlay's track record shows he has no desire to stand up for Scotland's interests."

He claimed the Tories head into the UK conference this weekend "totally divided and distracted by infighting".

Mr Stewart added: "They have finally managed to swap out one of two lame duck leaders - but defeated Rishi Sunak is still pulling the strings until November, as what feels like the longest leadership contest in history rumbles on."

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Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: "Rearranging the deckchairs will do nothing to stop the Tories' downward slide after 14 years of letting Scotland down.

"The Tories still owe Scots an apology for gambling with families' savings, crashing the economy and sending bills soaring while putting party before country. "The 2024 election made it clear that voters want change, not a return to the rotten Tory government of the past."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said Mr Findlay will "find it hard to escape his record of cheering on (former prime minister) Liz Truss".

He added: "There will also be voters out there who were persuaded by (former Scottish Tory leader) Ruth Davidson but who barely recognise the Conservative Party today."