Russell Findlay has been elected the new leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. After a leadership election marred by allegations of dirty tricks following the resignation of Douglas Ross. A former crime reporter turned MSP for West Scotland since 2021, Findlay defeated Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher in the final three.
Having been the favourite to win after receiving the imprimatur of Ruth Davidson, Findlay will have some work to do to get his party on an even keel. The Conservatives retained five out of six seats in Scotland at this year’s general election, but on a record low vote share. They are also predicted to fall back to (at least) third at the next election for Scotland’s parliament.
Findlay has called for the party to “come together as one united team” after a leadership election dominated by allegations of misconduct and bitter infighting. He says he is “not a career politician”, will “work hard to earn voters’ trust”, and offers “common sense for change”. On a turn out of 60 per cent, he won 2, 565 votes, compared to Fraser’s 1,187, and Gallacher’s 403.
Our name may be ConservativeHome, but we have not forgotten our party’s Unionist core. We wish Findlay the best in taking his party forward. It is certainly a very good week for Conservative Scotsmen who have dabbled in both politics and journalism in their careers.
