Shadowy figures control Scottish Conservative leadership, says ex aide

The commentator said the "powers in the shadows" wanted Russell Findlay to be the next leader and had delivered "swift and brutal" retribution to his rivals.

He said the other candidates in the contest "have cited intimidation and a feeling that the party has stacked the odds against them.”

Murdo Fraser, he added, had been subjected to a “daily punishment beating in the press.”

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Mr Findlay, a former investigative journalist specialising in organised crime, said the pundit’s comments were “shrill and silly.”

However, other candidates in the race to replace Douglas Ross agreed with Mr Maciver that there were questions over accountability and transparency in the contest.

Brian Whittle told The Herald that “some aspects” of the contest "appear to have been taken to make life difficult for some of the candidates." 

There are currently six candidates in the contest. As well as Mr Findlay and Mr Whittle, Murdo Fraser, Meghan Gallacher, Jamie Greene, and Liam Kerr have all thrown their hats into the ring.

(Image: Andrew Milligan/PA)

The hopefuls have until August 22 to secure the nominations of 100 members, with voting then due to start two weeks later.

The result is expected on September 27.

The timetable for the contest was decided by the Party Management Board after a two week consultation with elected members and activists.

In his column, Mr Maciver, who has been heavily involved with the Scottish Tory party for over two decades, said there was “much darkness in this outfit”.

“It is run by a very small gang; a handful of mafioso deciding who lives and who dies, politically.

"Invariably then get what they want, and they destroy what they don’t want.”

The pundit - who ran Mr Fraser’s 2011 leadership campaign, said Mr Findlay was “an excellent advert for Scotland’s centre-right and clearly had potential from the moment he stepped into Holyrood.”

“But the truth is that the powers in the shadows had decided he should be the next leader long before he came to that conclusion himself. The transition plan is significantly older than this leadership contest,” he added.

"And, on the other side of the coin, political retribution for Mr Findlay’s fellow contenders has been swift and brutal. Other candidates, privately and publicly, have cited intimidation and a feeling that the party has stacked the odds against them.

“Mr Fraser, seen by the party as the most credible threat to Mr Findlay, has faced a daily punishment beating in the press from various party outriders. You can do anything, but never go against the family, as Michael Corleone said.”

Mr Maciver said whoever is successful in the contest should “get rid of the mafia.”

"Otherwise, they will find themselves, like their predecessors, in office but not in power.”

Responding to the column, Mr Findlay said: “Having investigated organised criminal gangs who deal drugs and inflict violence, such talk sounds shrill and silly.

"I'm running a positive campaign and setting out bold new policy ideas based on aspiration and opportunity. I urge all fellow candidates to do the same."

Mr Whittle said the party needed to be “open and accountable to our members and our voters.”

"I have made no secret of the fact that I believe some aspects of the process for this leadership contest appear to have been taken to make life difficult for some of the candidates.

“Not least the fact that we are more limited in our ability to communicate with party members than our counterparts in the UK leadership contest.

"That such decisions have been taken behind closed doors and without consultation only serves to give the impression of a lack of transparency or accountability within the party.

“I believe this is something any successful candidate must address to ensure Members have full confidence in the leader and the party.”

A spokesperson for Mr Greene said: “Jamie is trying in earnest to put forward the simple truth that the party needs to change and speak to the next generation of voters, no matter how uncomfortable that makes some people. “Jamie said from day one that the party needs a fair and open contest, time will tell if that truly has been the case.

“If the odds are institutionally stacked against anyone offering a shift away from continuity, then this will have been a missed opportunity to completely reset the party and the centre ground of Scottish politics.

A spokesman for Mr Fraser said: "Murdo is fighting a positive campaign focused on the need for real change in the Party, and has previously condemned blue-on-blue attacks by candidates or their agents.

"He believes that the Party needs to be given back to its members, and its necessary rejuvenation depends on a change of culture with proper collegiate leadership."

Ms Gallagher and Mr Kerr did not respond to requests for a comment.

In the article, as a demonstration of the mafioso’s power, Mr Maciver cites the shock resignation of Jackson Carlaw back in 2020 after just five months in charge.

There was speculation at the time that he had been ousted because No 10 and senior Scottish Tory figures were unhappy with his performance and wanted him replaced with Douglas Ross.

That speculation was partly fuelled by a tourist holidaying in Moray who, just days before his resignation, spotted Ruth Davidson meeting with Douglas Ross.

Mr Carlaw has always insisted the decision to go was his.

In 2021, he told Holyrood magazine he was exhausted.

“Was there a plot? No. I’ve said to people if I thought there was a plot going on, I’d have been the first member of it. There’s been a lot of exaggerated nonsense. It’s futile to correct all these things. People want to believe what they believe.”

Asked about Mr Maciver’s claim, Mr Carlaw said the 2021 comment remained apposite.