Brian Whittle has pulled out of the race to be the next leader of the Scottish Conservative party and thrown his weight behind Murdo Fraser.

The former Olympic sprinter has been an MSP for the South of Scotland region since 2016 and was one of the first to put his name forward to replace Douglas Ross in July, but has now decided it would be better to step back and offer his support for Mr Fraser instead.

Only Russell Findlay has launched his campaign to take over when Mr Whittle decided to enter the race and at the time he had stated change needed made to make the Tories a genuine option in Scotland.

He has repeated that in his withdrawal statement and said there needs to be a ‘new approach’ for how the party works and was critical of others who took disagreement as a ‘personal affront’ during the campaign so far.

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It means the race is down to five candidates with Mr Findlay and Mr Fraser being joined by Meghan Gallacher, Jamie Greene and Liam Kerr.

It’s Mr Fraser who is getting the former athlete’s backing though and he believes he would be the right man to give Scotland’s voters a ‘credible centre-right alternative’.

Last week, calls were made for the contest to be paused as they looked for reassurances over 'transparency and fairness' following reports Mr Ross had attempted to quit his role as party leader a year ago and be replaced by Mr Findlay. 

In a statement, Mr Whittle said: “I entered the contest for the Scottish Conservative leadership because I believe there is a need for a new approach to how the party operates.

“I have been able to meet with many members and supporters of the party and am grateful for the support and positive feedback I have received. However, I have decided to suspend my campaign and withdraw from consideration.

“Any leadership contest worthy of the name will inevitably involve disagreements among candidates and members. It’s unfortunate that some, both in the press and in the party, have seen that natural disagreement as a personal affront. 

“Despite that, I am confident that this party has the ideas and the ability to grow and win in Scotland if it is willing to accept, as most of the candidates have, that it must change to offer Scotland’s voters a credible centre-right alternative.

“The question for me and every other member now, is simple. Which of the remaining candidates is best placed to unite the membership behind them, harness their talents, and turn the Scottish Conservatives into a party that meets the needs of its members and, crucially, Scotland’s voters.

“For me, I believe that person is Murdo Fraser. He has recognised the scale of the change that is needed and represent the genuine change of approach that we need to win. 

“I look forward to supporting him as the campaign continues.”