Findlay: SNP and Labour consider me a threat in Tory race

He is up against veteran MSP Murdo Fraser and former deputy leader Meghan Gallacher.

But Mr Findlay has the backing of party stalwarts like former leader Ruth Davidson and all five of the party Scottish MPs in Westminster.

That has led him to be branded the "continuity candidate" by his opponents.

However, he said that suggestion was "silly", arguing he was actually the "outsider" candidate who could take on opposition parties.

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He told the Herald: "People connected to those two parties have told me frequently that (Labour and SNP) do not want me as Scottish Tory leader.

"They would rather it was somebody else, and I think that probably says a lot.

"Why would they not want me? It's probably because they see that I pose a threat to their complacency, their entitlement and their arrogance.

"It galls me to think that due to almost two decades of nationalist distraction and incompetence, this idea that Labour will somehow be better. We've seen what Labour has done at a UK level within a matter of weeks since they've taken office.

"That's why it's so vitally important that Scottish Conservatives get fighting fit ahead of 2026."

"If we are the party that stands up for the union, then what we must do with the SNP down, albeit not out, we must now reset and explain why our values of hard work, fairness, aspiration and ambition actually align with their values and explain why it is absolutely vital going into 2026."

The latest Holyrood polling suggests the Tories could lose up to half of their seats at the next Scottish Parliament election.

Scottish Tory leadership candidates Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher. (Image: PA) Polling by Survation puts them on 13% of the constituency vote and 14% on the list vote, with Ballot Box Scotland predicting it could mean just 15 seats, down from the 31 achieved in 2021.

Reform, the party led by Nigel Farage, poses a significant threat to the Scottish Tories, with polling suggesting the party would win 10 seats in Holyrood, with 9% of the regional vote and 10% on the list.

Mr Findlay said: "Things are not looking great (for 2026). 

"I think it is therefore absolutely vital that we get the right leader in place.

"I believe I'm the best person for that job. I think it's to my benefit that I'm not a career politician. I've not spent my whole time in that kind of Holyrood bubble.

"As a former journalist, I understand what the issues are and I understand how ordinary people across Scotland feel and often they feel disconnected from politics and from politicians.

"I think that understand, that life experience, will help to persuade them that the Scottish Conservative Party is actually on their side."

Mr Findlay is a former crime journalist turned politician who has previously discussed threats to his life.

He reported on organised crime for many years and has served as the Scottish Tory justice spokesman since his election as MSP in 2021.

He has written about his experiences covering the tales of organised crime, including his own near-fatal experience days before Christmas 2015 when he was targeted by a hitman on his doorstep in Glasgow.

Acid was thrown directly into Mr Findlay's face by the hitman, with the former journalist restraining his knife-wielding attacker until police came.

A leadership role would put him in a more profile position, he admits, stating he "remains cautious about his welfare" but said he won't hide away.

During the interview, Mr Findlay also addressed issues that had "irked" him about the contest, in what appeared to be a dig at his fellow contender Murdo Fraser.

Earlier in the contest, Mr Fraser, who has been an MSP since 2001, had suggested his two rivals step aside and back him in a "coronation".

Mr Fraser has also said he thinks Mr Findlay is a "continuity candidate".

Mr Findlay said: "The thing that slightly irks me, and I've been trying to keep my powder dry, is this idea that there is some establishment installing someone in post.

"I have said from the outset, consistently, there must be a contest and not a coronation.

"I think also the idea that all the MPs and MSPs and councillors and members who support me are doing so out of some strange hidden at work is actually offensive to them.

"My colleagues are feisty, smart and free thinking and the thought that they can get told what to do is frankly laughable."

Scottish Tory members have been able to vote in the leadership contest since September 4, and the winner will be announced on Friday September 27.