Douglas Ross insists Tories are ‘successful’ in Scotland regardless of election meltdown warning | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Douglas Ross, chief of the Scottish Conservatives, has defied ballot predictions of a basic election bloodbath – by insisting his occasion is “winning” in opposition to the SNP.

The Tories face dropping nearly three-fifths of their voters in Scotland from 2019 and 2021 when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak goes to the nation, a YouGov survey has recommended.

However, talking to the Scottish Conservative Party convention in Aberdeen right this moment, Mr Ross struck a defiant observe after being launched by Lisa Cameron, the MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, who defected from the SNP final yr.

He informed delegates: “What a great example of how our party – the Scottish Conservatives – are winning people over from the SNP right across the country.

“By standing up for their values, ending the divisive debate around independence – and Taking Scotland Forward.”

Mr Ross additionally paid tribute to John Bathgate, elected to the Scottish Borders council area for the Jedburgh and St Boswells ward earlier this week.

He stated: “We didn’t just beat the SNP in Jedburgh, but, by winning with a whopping 58 percent of the vote, we knocked them out of the park.

“A great achievement for John as our newest elected member and John Lamont, Rachael Hamilton, Euan Jardine and the rest of the team who secured such a great result.”

Mr Ross continued: “It is not just in the Borders – in January, Thomas Heald won in Dunblane.

“And before that Alan Lamont beat the SNP in Girvan.

“Right across Scotland, the Scottish Conservatives are taking the fight to the SNP – and we are winning.”

Mr Ross additionally educated his fireplace on Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, in addition to his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, accusing each of getting “seemingly misled two public inquiries over the retention of pandemic messages”

He added: “His government lost their court challenge over Sturgeon’s gender self-ID Bill. And has, under Scottish Conservative pressure, had to drop many of its nonsensical plans.

“From the Deposit Return Scheme to Highly Protected Marine Areas, the number of U-turns would make you dizzy.

“The SNP have also descended into infighting.

“One MSP even said this week said that his party under Humza Yousaf has become ‘authoritarian’.”

The ballot, commissioned by the Scottish Election Study (SES) – often known as the Scottish Opinion Monitor – regarded on the transfer away from the Tories forward of the subsequent vote, which Mr Sunak confirmed on Friday would happen by the top of the yr.

The findings of the examine – which concerned interviews with 1,320 folks in Scotland between February 21 and 29 – had been offered by the SES at a fringe occasion on the convention.

Specifically it checked out Tory voters who backed the occasion within the 2019 basic election and within the 2021 Holyrood election.

Some 58 % of the 316 respondents stated they might not again Rishi Sunak’s occasion on the subsequent vote, up from 42 % in October.

Senior Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser additionally spoke on the occasion, telling members the occasion should focus extra on attacking the SNP and its document in Government, slightly than points at a UK Government degree.

He stated: “If the general election in Scotland is seen primarily as a test of how well the Conservative Government in Westminster has performed – that’s not going to help us, that’s to our disadvantage.

“If we will make the final election in Scotland about how the SNP Government is performing, that might be to our benefit and assist drive tactical voters in direction of us.”

Mr Fraser added that any Government who has been in power for a long period of time “finds it troublesome” to defend its document at an election.

More knowledge from the Scottish Opinion Monitor is predicted early subsequent week.

The SNP and Scottish Labour have been contacted for remark.