Stephen Flynn has said that the Conservative party’s recent race row shows that “Scotland’s values have never been further removed from Westminster”.

Rishi Sunak has been under pressure in recent days after allegations that his party's biggest donor said Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

The Prime Minister eventually accepted that the remarks were racist but the Tories have not handed back the £10 million he donated to the party.

The Aberdeen South MP is due to address the SNP’s National Council on Saturday, where he will tell members that it is “essential Scotland has a strong SNP voice.”

However, the one-day event in Perth comes at a difficult time for his party, with the SNP leadership reeling from the fallout of the Michael Matheson scandal.

The MSP for Falkirk is coming under pressure to quit and trigger a by-election after Holyrood’s corporate body ruled that he breached Parliament’s code of conduct.

Tomorrow’s event will feature speeches and updates from senior party figures, including Treasurer Stuart McDonald.

Recent reports suggest the party is struggling to attract large donations, with just £75,000 recorded in bequests and donations from individuals and companies since Humza Yousaf took office a year ago.

That’s left the SNP relying solely on the contributions of members. However, according to Holyrood magazine, the SNP had 69,235 members at the end of December, almost half of its 2019 peak.

A tough general election looms, with both the SNP and Labour polling at 34% according to a recent survey by Redfield and Wilton.

Because of the first-past-the-post system and Scotland’s electoral geography, particularly the concentration of Labour voters in the central belt, that would still mean a huge win for Anas Sarwar’s party.

Ahead of his speech to the party faithful, Mr Flynn also attacked Labour, criticising Sir Keir Starmer’s MPs for not voting against the budget in the Commons this week.

He said: "With the Tories embroiled in a racism scandal, and Keir Starmer’s Labour Party missing in action in the fight against Westminster’s austerity budget, it’s clear that Scotland's values have never been further removed from Westminster.

"The SNP are Scotland's voice - and the events of recent weeks have shown why it's essential Scotland has a strong SNP voice.”

He said the Westminster parties were “wedded to Brexit, austerity cuts and opening up the NHS to privatisation - and Tory and Labour MPs have shown they will always do the bidding of their Westminster leaders, no matter the cost to Scotland.”

Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said: “As the SNP spend their Saturday talking among themselves about their independence obsession, the Scottish Conservatives will be talking to Scots about their real priorities.

“In swathes of seats across the country, only the Scottish Conservatives can beat Humza Yousaf and the SNP and ensure the focus moves on from their obsession and on to the real challenges facing them such as cutting NHS waiting times and growing our economy.”

Labour's Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “Any pretence that the SNP speaks for Scotland has been left in pieces by their decision to side with the oil and gas giants making eye-watering profits rather than Scots struggling with their bills.

“For too long Scotland has been trapped in a spiral of SNP and Tory decline – but change is possible.

“At the next general election, voters can reject the broken status quo and vote for a fresh start with Scottish Labour.

“The SNP only wants to send a message, but Scottish Labour will put Scotland’s voice at the heart of government and deliver the change our country needs – making work pay, lowering bills, delivering economic growth and renewing our public services.”

Resolutions to be debated at the council include a call to make the Scottish Parliament “introduce a monthly motion debate that is chosen by the public.”

Members will also discuss a motion from the party’s trade union group calling on the Scottish Government “to continue to pause” the National Care Service’s legislative processes “in order to engage further with all stakeholders, aiming to build the broad consensus that is needed for successful implementation.”