This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.

The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party leadership contest is under way and several strong candidates have come forward.

I'm proud of the depth of talent we have in our party.

But for me, there is only one choice if we want to represent all of Scotland and build a Conservative party that truly champions aspiration, ambition and opportunity.

I will be supporting Russell Findlay to lead us forward.

I'm backing him in a personal capacity, separate to my roles in organisations affiliated to the party, such as the Scottish Conservative Friends of BAME group and the UK Conservative Muslim Forum.

And I'm also supporting Russell for personal reasons. I've known him for several years now. He is one of the most decent people in politics. He treats everybody the same, no matter their background, who they are or what title they hold.

Russell will connect with working people up and down Scotland, from every community. He is a really genuine guy, which can be something of a rarity in politics.

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He became an MSP in 2021 after a long and successful career as an investigative journalist. His life experience is a huge asset that he would bring to the role of leader. It sets him apart from several other candidates. He knows more about the world than what he has learned at Holyrood these last few years.

I'm confident that Russell has the character to lead the party. He is tough, but he's also very likeable and people enjoy being in his company.

But the job is not all about character. It's also about vision and ideas. Russell has, for me, articulated exactly what we need to do as Scottish Conservatives. He's outlined that we must move on from simply opposing independence and start to build a policy platform that appeals to the hopes, needs and desires of communities all over Scotland.

I've been impressed by his policy proposals so far. He has set out ideas to tackle the housing crisis and get more people onto the property ladder. We Conservatives must get back to our reputation as the party of home ownership. We need to offer more for young people. Russell understands that and he's got the solutions to win back public trust.

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He's also been very bold with his proposals for education policy, especially around the exclusion of disruptive pupils to specialist behaviour bases. I believe he's called it right. He has outlined that the SNP's Curriculum for Excellence is failing pupils and teachers, so it's time to replace it with a new curriculum that encourages aspiration and values knowledge.

I've also heard Russell set out some ideas to improve transparency and accountability in the Scottish Government by forcing ministers to record more of their actions and publish information proactively. As a former journalist, Russell understands how the powerful will often try to limit and hide what the public sees. He won't stand for it.

And that brings me to why Russell is uniquely placed to lead the Scottish Conservatives at this crucial point in our party's history. He is willing to stand up when others won't. He stands up for his beliefs, proudly and passionately. He doesn't mince words. He won't back down from a challenge. He embraces it. He's willing to take on the establishment.

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He will be different. He's not a career politician. He's experienced, but he's the fresh face and the new start that our party needs.

Russell has all the qualities and tools to change our party. And boy do we need to change. To win back people in Glasgow and all over Scotland, we need to offer something new. Our party needs to show that we get the challenges facing normal people in our everyday lives.

I'm backing my friend Russell Findlay because I know that's what he'll do. He'll bring our party together and unite us behind a positive vision and exciting new policies. He'll energise our supporters and reach out beyond our base to seek new voters.

It's going to be a really challenging few years for our party. But Russell has what it takes to get us out the other side even stronger than before.

Naveed Asghar is Chair of the Glasgow Conservative & Unionist Association and Deputy Chair of the UK Conservative Muslim Forum.