Scottish Conservatives leadership race: Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher in running to replace Douglas Ross
Three MSPs will battle it out in the Scottish Tory leadership race.
Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher will now proceed to a ballot of the party’s membership to determine who will replace outgoing leader Douglas Ross.
The trio secured the 100 nominations required from members and saw off competition from fellow MSPs Brian Whittle, Liam Kerr and Jamie Greene.
Mr Whittle, Mr Kerr and Mr Greene dropped out of the race and have thrown their support behind Mr Fraser.
Mr Fraser with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: PA
During his official campaign launch in Perth earlier on Thursday, Mr Fraser called on Mr Findlay and Ms Gallacher to drop their bids and join his team – essentially coronating him as leader.
In response, Mr Findlay said he’s always been “opposed to a coronation, of myself or anyone else”.
He added: “Our members should decide the next leader. Not any small group of people at Holyrood.”
Mr Findlay with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: Dave Johnson
The nomination stage closed at noon on 22 August, with voting due to take place between 4-26 September.
A series of hustings will now be held across the country, with a winner expected to be announced on 27 September – before the UK Conservative Party reveals Rishi Sunak’s successor on 2 November.
Craig Hoy MSP, the party’s chairman, congratulated all those who made the next round.
He added: “We now look forward to an open contest between the three candidates, giving them the opportunity to outline their vision and policies at hustings events to be held up and down Scotland over the coming weeks.”
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Russell Findlay
Mr Findlay. Pic: Dave Johnson
Mr Findlay has been the MSP for West Scotland since 2021 and is the party’s justice spokesperson at Holyrood.
He has worked as a journalist for STV News, the Scottish Sun and the Sunday Mail.
His investigation into the disappearance of Margaret Fleming was used to help prosecute her killers.
As an author, Mr Findlay has written books on gangland crime and was the victim of an acid attack in 2015 when an assailant appeared on his doorstep disguised as a postman.
In 2017, the attacker was handed a 15-year extended sentence, with 10 years in jail and five years on licence once released back into the community.
Mr Findlay has set out policies on lowering tax, overhauling the education curriculum, and reducing red tape for businesses.
During his campaign launch earlier this week, he said there would be “no split, no separation” with the UK Conservatives and argued the party has to find new purpose beyond the constitutional argument around Scottish independence.
He said: “Under my leadership, the Scottish Conservatives will once again speak for mainstream Scotland which has been neglected and marginalised during nearly two decades of miserable SNP rule.
“You know the Scotland I mean because you live in it too. It’s the world outside the political bubble.”
He said the party has lost the “mojo” of the Ruth Davidson era and said it is time to “bring back some sunshine, positivity and hope”.
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Murdo Fraser
Mr Fraser. Pic: PA
Mr Fraser, 58, is the longest-serving Scottish Tory MSP and has represented the Mid Scotland and Fife region since 2001.
He has previously served as deputy leader of the party and is currently the shadow cabinet secretary for business, economic growth and tourism.
Mr Fraser ran to lead the Scottish Tories in 2011 to replace Annabel Goldie but lost out to Ruth Davidson.
During his campaign launch, Mr Fraser pitched himself as the candidate for change, borrowing a phrase from Kate Forbes’s SNP leadership bid – “continuity won’t cut it”.
He said: “These last few weeks have been immensely difficult for our party. Just last month we saw a general election where our vote share slumped to the lowest it has ever been in our party’s history.
“We have seen a fractious leadership contest so far, with persistent anonymous briefings against candidates, including me and my colleagues here.
“We have also seen concerning claims being raised about the conduct of the Scottish leader in relation to interference in at least two candidate selections.
“The last few weeks have proven that real change is an absolute necessity. It is a matter of survival for our party.
“For too long in this party we have had too much power concentrated in too few hands, and now we see the effects of that. That has to change now.”
Mr Fraser has pledged to hold an independent commission on the structure of the Scottish Tories if he wins the leadership.
During his previous bid, he suggested a split from the Tories south of the border but has since said his view on that has changed.
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Meghan Gallacher
Ms Gallacher. Pic: PA
Ms Gallacher, 32, is a former North Lanarkshire councillor and has been the MSP for Central Scotland since 2021.
She recently served as the party’s deputy leader, but dramatically quit last week amid reports over the alleged conduct of Mr Ross around the general election – allegations he has strongly denied.
When announcing her leadership bid, Ms Gallacher said the contest presents the party with the “opportunity for a reset”.
She announced plans to build a “modern, centre-right party” with policies focusing on low taxes, property ownership, supporting families and protecting “rights and liberties”.
She added: “We need someone who can unite the party, who can reach out to people who have never thought of voting Scottish Conservatives before. I have the experience to do just that.”
The MSP cited her time as a councillor, saying she worked with people across the political divide “in the best interests of our communities”.
Pitching herself as a “bold, dynamic and fresh-faced” leader, Ms Gallacher said she would deliver “a new beginning for the Scottish Conservatives”.
Sadiq Khan has hit back at politicians “spreading misinformation” about safety in London as new data shows the number of violent crimes leading to injury has fallen in every borough over the past year.
Figures from the mayor’s office for policing and crime compare the 12 months ending in August 2025 with the previous 12 months – and show there were 8,749 fewer crimes which resulted in someone being hurt, a drop of nearly 12%.
The borough of Havering in east London recorded the largest drop (16.3%) followed by Enfield in north London (16.1%).
The smallest decreases were in Greenwich (4.3%) and Kensington and Chelsea (4.6%).
Sir Sadiq said: “We’ve seen a number of politicians here and across the globe talking down London and spreading misinformation about crime and safety in the capital.
“The evidence is clear, our approach to tackling crime and its complex causes works. It’s driving down violence right across the capital.”
His comments come after Donald Trump reignited his feud with Sir Sadiq earlier this month by accusing him of doing a “terrible job” and claiming “crime in London is through the roof”.
The US president also hit out at the mayor in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he also made the outlandish claim that London “wants Sharia law” – something there is no evidence for.
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Trump attacks UN and London mayor
Asked about the attacks, Sir Sadiq said: “I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic, and he is Islamophobic.”
He added that the public would be “wondering what it is about this Muslim mayor who leads a liberal, multicultural, progressive, successful city that means I appear to be living rent-free inside Donald Trump’s head”.
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According to the mayor’s office, overall homicides in London are at a 10-year low, and the city’s rate is lower than in Berlin, Brussels, Madrid, Paris and all major US cities.
The rate of homicide was down by 17% in the 12-month period to June this year compared with the 12-month period to May 2016, it previously said.
Sir Sadiq speaks with a police officer during a walkabout in the West End earlier this year. File pic: PA
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams said: “We’re targeting the most dangerous individuals, disrupting criminal networks, and investing in prevention to protect those most at risk.
“That’s why fewer people are being hurt, fewer lives are being lost, and London is becoming a safer city.”
The Conservatives rejected the suggestion that London is safer.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp claims ‘London isn’t safer’
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Under this Labour mayor, criminals know the odds are stacked in their favour.
“Only one in 20 robberies is solved, fewer offenders are being jailed, and more than a thousand police officers have been cut from the Metropolitan Police, with Sir Mark Rowley warning of further losses this year.
“Londoners don’t feel safer because London isn’t safer.”
Model Penny Lancaster has said she “felt ashamed and belittled” by how former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace treated her on the TV show.
Lancaster, who is also a TV personality, and is married to singer Rod Stewart, told Sky News’ The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee programme that she also felt let down by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK.
“I didn’t feel like I was supported in that moment, I felt ashamed and belittled by the way Greg Wallace had treated me but equally I felt disappointed that the production company hadn’t come to my rescue,” Lancaster, 54 and a MasterChef contestant in 2021, said.
“There is a long way to go, but just by people coming forward and being honest about their experiences I think will help in the long term.”
At the end of July, Wallace, 60, apologised after a report commissioned by Banijay UK, and carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin, found 45 out of 83 allegations against him were substantiated.
Sir Rod Stewart criticised Wallace on Instagram in November 2024 and claimed he “humiliated” his wife when she was on the show.
He wrote: “Good riddance Wallace… You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
“You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully.”
Gregg Wallace. Pic: PA
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Sky News has approached Wallace for comment.
He has previously apologised to people he has hurt, saying in July that he knows he has said things that have offended people. He has denied a specific allegation of unwanted touching.
The BBC referred Sky News to their statement from July, in which the corporation said: “Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC. We accept more could and should have been done sooner.
“We want to thank all those who took part in the investigation, including those who first raised concerns directly with the BBC in November last year. We apologise to everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour.”
Penny Lancaster speaks to Sarah-Jane Mee
Banijay UK, the producers of MasterChef, told Sky News: “We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by any inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace whilst working on our shows and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.
“Ways of reporting concerns whilst working on our productions, protocols around behaviour and training for both cast and crew, have improved exponentially in recent years and we constantly review welfare procedures across our productions to ensure that they are as robust as they can be.”
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