The nominations in the race to be the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives have opened.
Six MSPs have thrown their hats in the ring to take over from previous leader Douglas Ross, who announced plans to quit the role during the General Election campaign.
Deputy leader Meghan Gallacher, Russell Findlay, Jamie Greene, Murdo Fraser, Brian Whittle and Liam Kerr have all announced their intention to stand.
Nominations for the post open on Thursday and will close on August 22 at noon, with candidates required to receive the backing of 100 party members to be able to run.
Here’s a who’s who of each candidate:
Meghan Gallacher
Former councillor Ms Gallacher, 32, is an MSP for Central Scotland MSP and has been deputy leader for over two years and is seen as one of Holyrood’s rising stars since entering parliament in 2021.
She is the only woman in the contest – but would become the third female leader of the Scottish Tories after the late Annabelle Goldie and Ruth Davidson.
She has pledged to create "a modern centre right party that is focused on delivering for everyone in Scotland”.
Russell Findlay
A former journalist, Mr Findlay spent most of his working life as an award-winning investigative reporter for the Sunday Mail, the Scottish Sun and STV.
Elected to the West of Scotland region in 2021, he was formerly the Scottish Conservatives Director of Communications before ‘crossing the fence’ to becoming an MSP.
During his time as a journalist, he was targeted in a gangland hit and had acid thrown at him on his doorstep. Mr Findlay subdued the attack, who received 15 years in prison.
He has earned a reputation among grassroots Tories as a vocal opponent of the Scottish National Party and Scottish independence.
Jamie Greene
Jamie Greene, MSP for the West Scotland, was the fifth Conservative MSP to enter the race — announcing his candidacy with an article in The Herald.
Mr Greene has served in various roles within the party including Shadow Justice Secretary, Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Transport Secretary.
He voted against the controversial Gender Recognition Bill, something he believes cost him a role in the shadow cabinet.
In his Herald article, he said: “I plan to take the Scottish Conservatives to a new level. A unified team of ministers in waiting, a raft of pragmatic policies which resonate with voters, and trust rebuilt in a brand which has taken a battering”
Murdo Fraser
A senior MSP – Fraser was first elected in 2001 – He has previously served as Deputy leader of the party.
He announced his bid for the leadership of the party claiming members have been “let down” by bosses north and south of the border – including Douglas Ross.
Fraser, who once backed the idea of the Scottish Conservatives breaking away from the main UK party (something he’s cooled on now), believes it is time for a new direction.
He said: “Our party must change, and change cannot be continuity in a fancy wrapper – our party needs a leader who will reach every corner of it, change it and hold it together all at the same time.”
Brian Whittle
A former Olympic sprinter, Brian Whittle is probably the least well-known names on the list.
A West of Scotland list MSP since 2016, he said his candidacy has three “core principles” – education, enterprise and empowering people.
He said The party must also be willing to “tell hard truths”, saying: “A party that tries to be all things to all people will most likely end up being nothing to anyone.
“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.”
READ MORE:
Brian Whittle enters the Tory leadership contest
Liam Kerr eyes Holyrood power with Scottish Tory leadership bid
Jamie Greene suggests Scottish Tory contest a sham
Liam Kerr
North East MSP Mr Kerr is the party’s education spokesman.
He announced his candidacy in the Telegraph, writing that the UK party had suffered a “sobering” defeat in the general election.
He said: “Under my leadership, the Scottish Conservatives will start from the future: a 15-year vision of what a vibrant, prosperous UK and world-leading Scotland will be.
“By presenting that vision of a better Scotland, alongside a holistic, evidence-based, ‘what-works’ strategy to deliver, the people of Scotland will look again at the Scottish Conservatives and give us the chance to work in government.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel