West of Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has entered the Scottish Conservative leadership race.
Writing in the Scotsman, the former Olympic sprinter said the party needed to "pick ourselves up and prepare for the next race”.
He is the second Tory to announce a bid for the top job, with Russell Findlay throwing his hat into the ring last week.
Mr Whittle said the party had “never been a serious contender” to take over in Scotland in the 25 years of the Scottish Parliament.
“We can do better than that,” he added.
“As a party we must be more pro-active. It is not enough to respond to events. We must shape them.”
READ MORE: Brian Whittle: Scottish Tories need plan beyond invective press releases
His candidacy, he said, has three “core principles” – education, enterprise and empowering people.
The party, he added, must also be willing to “tell hard truths”, adding: “A party that tries to be all things to all people will most likely end up being nothing to anyone.”
Mr Whittle continued: “I’m not going to offer platitudes or quick fixes because that’s not what we need.
“The Scottish Conservatives can be an effective, pragmatic, and successful centre-right government in Scotland.
“The path to get there will not be quick or easy, but then again, few things worth doing are easy.”
The announcement comes as a senior MSP called for a commission to be established to look at the relationship between the Scottish Tories and the UK-wide party.
The contest to replace Douglas Ross will likely kick off this week when the ruling Scottish Tory Management Board meets on Wednesday to decide on the rules and timetable.
Around seven other MSPs are also understood to be considering a bid, including Meghan Gallagher, Jamie Greene, Liam Kerr, Stephen Kerr, Graham Simpson, Murdo Fraser and Maurice Golden.
READ MORE: Scottish Tories 'too fragile' for existential debate
Writing in today's, The Telegraph, Mr Fraser said that a “senior independent party figure” should be appointed to lead the probe, reporting after the 2026 Holyrood election.
There are now less than two years until the next Holyrood election. Polls put the Tories in a distant third.
The General Election was a disaster for the party with their vote in Scotland near enough halved, down 12.4 percentage points to 12.7%.
However, thanks to a terrible result for the SNP, they managed to win five seats, just one less than in 2019.
They would also likely have won Aberdeenshire North and Moray East had it not been for Douglas Ross and the ousting of David Duguid.
The outgoing Scottish Tory leader upset some of his MSPs and activists after announcing his intention to run for Westminster, despite previously promising to commit his energies to be leader of the Tory group at the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Ross stood in the new Aberdeenshire North & Moray East constituency, replacing Mr Duguid, who, at the last minute, was declared too ill to campaign by the Party’s Management Board.
There was unease among local members over the decision, particularly as Mr Duguid insisted repeatedly he was well enough to stand.
The row ultimately triggered Mr Ross's resignation.
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