The dream of Scottish independence is dead, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has said.
In his first speech to party members, Mr Findlay used the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham to appeal to voters who had been disillusioned with Scottish politics.
The majority of his speech focused on attacking the SNP, and its record in running the Scottish Government.
However, he also accepted his party had made mistakes and faced a long journey back to winning over voters.
He told a Scottish Tory fringe event: "John Swinney says he has never been more convinced of the case for independence.
"Nicola Sturgeon says she is 'absolutely certain' Scotland will become independent within her lifetime.
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"Humza Yousaf has called for - get this - 'international mediation' to help secure independence. For goodness sake, this is Scotland, not Sudan.
"Alex Salmond said the dream will never die. Well let me tell you Salmond, Swinney, Sturgeon and Yousaf: it is dead."
Mr Findlay received rapturous applause from party members as he criticised the SNP's "focus on independence" over the last decade.
He was elected as the successor to Douglas Ross on Friday and has since delivered a speech on devolution to the King to mark 25 years of the Scottish Parliament, before travelling to his first conference as leader.
His speech also urged Scottish Tory voters to unite behind his vision for the Scottish Parliament elections in 2026.
It predominately attacked the SNP as he aims to maintain the party's role as the main opposition in Holyrood.
But at the general election, the Tories lost around half of its vote share in Scotland.
And polls suggest that could ripple through to the Scottish Parliament election, with the Tories polling at around 12%, meaning half of its 31 MSPs could be lost.
Mr Findlay said: "It's now time for the hard graft to begin. We need to get our house in order. We have to accept the enormity of the challenge ahead of us. And we need to face some hard truths."
"Our party let down those who voted for us," he added.
"The Scottish Parliament is the place most in need of a hard reality check," he said.
"Holyrood has the resources and ability to shape Scotland and change lives. Yes many people believe it fails to represent them and their families."
He said the SNP-led Scottish Government had failed businesses as he said the Tories would "junk the high-tax, high spend agenda favoured by the Holyrood consensus."
Mr Findlay also said Mr Swinney was "too weak" to push through bold education reforms which tackles violence and schools.
"John Swinney is so afraid of losing that he doesn't even bother to try.
"He's too weak to push bold reforms through because the SNP lack a majority."
He also told Mr Swinney not to give in to "powerful teaching unions", adding: "That's my challenge to John Swinney. Show some guts and resolve. Don't just run the clock out on your own career."
"My politics are about common sense for a change," he said.
"I'm about telling it straight, so if that upsets some people, then that's the way it will be."
An SNP spokesman said: "Russell Findlay and the Tories have no ambition for Scotland - as these comments demonstrate.
"Findlay was elected as Tory leader in Holyrood by a party membership of less than 7,000.
"Around 50% of people already support independence - Findlay's naive comments and his party's lack of vision for Scotland will only work to increase the numbers of those backing Yes."
In response to Mr Findlay's comments on independence, the Alba Party - set up by Alex Salmond - said the Scottish Tory leader was "living in dream land".
The party's general secretary Chris McEleny said: "Russell Findlay is living in dream land if he thinks that people in Scotland want to go back to the nightmare of the last 14 years of Tory government."
He added: "Scotland can choose its own future free from the moral vacuum on Westminster. That is why Alex Salmond is correct when it comes to the need for Scottish independence as an urgent priority."
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