Russell Findlay replaces Douglas Ross as new leader of the Scottish Conservatives
Russell Findlay has been elected the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
The MSP saw off competition from Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher in the bruising battle to replace Douglas Ross.
Mr Findlay won with 2,565 votes on a turnout of 60%. Mr Fraser placed second with 1,187 votes, while Ms Gallacher claimed third with 403 votes.
The announcement comes ahead of the UK Conservative Party revealing Rishi Sunak’s successor on 2 November.
Ms Gallacher, Mr Fraser and Mr Findlay on Friday. Pic: PA
Following his win, Mr Findlay said he “greatly” respected and valued Mr Fraser and Ms Gallacher.
He added: “Now, everyone in our party must come together as one united team.
“Let’s start the hard work right now – today – to win back public trust. And I want to deliver a message directly to people across Scotland who don’t feel anyone represents them.
“Who are scunnered by the divisive policies and fringe obsessions of the Scottish parliament. Who feel let down and failed by politicians of every party – including ours.
“Who think politicians are all the same. If you feel that way, I get it. But I am not the same. I’m not a career politician.”
Mr Findlay said he understood voters’ “frustration”.
He added: “Under my leadership the Scottish Conservatives are going to change. We will work hard to earn your trust by doing things differently.
“We will be a voice for decent, mainstream Scotland and for the values of hard work, self-reliance and fairness for taxpayers.
“We’ll spend all our time and energy on your concerns, your hopes and your needs.
“We know you don’t expect miracles from politicians. We know you just want some common sense, for a change. And we are determined to deliver it.”
Mr Findlay after his win on Friday. Pic: PA
Mr Findlay has been the MSP for West Scotland since 2021 and is currently 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 with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: Dave Johnson
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Six Scottish Tory MSPs initially announced bids to succeed Mr Ross, who will continue in his role as MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
Douglas Ross. Pic: PA
Brian Whittle, Liam Kerr and Jamie Greene dropped out of the race ahead of the ballot and threw their support behind Mr Fraser.
Mr Findlay, Mr Fraser and Ms Gallacher each secured the 100 nominations required to continue and took part in hustings across Scotland as they sought to convince party members why they were the best person for the job.
During his campaign launch, Mr Fraser called on Mr Findlay and Ms Gallacher to drop their bids and join his team – essentially coronating him as leader.
Mr Fraser with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: PA
In response, Mr Findlay said he’d 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, who received the backing of former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, was regarded by some as the favourite to replace Mr Ross.
During the competition, MSP Mr Kerr apologised after branding ally Mr Fraser’s leadership campaign as “awful”.
In a series of posts accidentally published as status updates to his WhatsApp profile, Mr Kerr criticised Mr Fraser’s bid despite publicly backing him.
“I’m beginning to wish I’d nominated Meghan,” Mr Kerr wrote, in reference to Ms Gallacher.
Ms Gallacher. Pic: PA
The contentious contest also saw former deputy leader Ms Gallacher lodging a complaint to the party against Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP John Lamont.
Following a call between the pair, Ms Gallacher was said to have been concerned she would be deselected ahead of the Holyrood election in 2026.
Mr Lamont, who backed rival Mr Findlay, strongly denied any wrongdoing and said he was “considering further action including legal options”.
Mr Findlay is expected to unveil his frontbench team at Holyrood next week.
Ahead of that, he will deliver a speech during Saturday’s celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament.
And on Sunday, he will be on stage at the UK Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
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The return on Donald Trump to the G7 was always going to be unpredictable. That it is happening against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in the Middle East makes it even more so.
Expectations had already been low, with the Canadian hosts cautioning against the normal joint communique at the end of the summit, mindful that this group of leaders would struggle to find consensus.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney carefully laid down an agenda that was uncontroversial in a bid to avoid any blow-ups between President Trump and allies, who of late have been divided like never before – be it over tariffs and trade, Russia and Ukraine, or, more recently Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
But discussions around critical minerals and global supply chains will undoubtedly drop down the agenda as leaders convene at a precarious moment. Keir Starmer, on his way over to Canada for a bi-lateral meeting in Ottawa with PM Carney before travelling onto the G7 summit in Kananaskis, underscored the gravity of the situation as he again spoke of de-escalation, while also confirmed that the UK was deploying more British fighter jets to the region amid threats from Tehran that it will attack UK bases if London helps defend Israel against airstrikes.
Canadian PM Mark Carney is greeted by President Donald Trump at the White House in May. Pic: AP
Really this is a G7 agenda scrambled as world leaders scramble to de-escalate the worst fighting between Tel Aviv and Tehran in decades. President Trump has for months been urging Israel not to strike Iran as he worked towards a diplomatic deal to halt uranium enrichment. Further talks had been due on Sunday – but are now not expected to go ahead.
All eyes will be on Trump in the coming days, to see if the US – Israel’s closest ally – will call on Israel to rein in its assault. The US has so far not participated in any joint attacks with Tel Aviv, but is moving warships and other military assets to the Middle East.
Sir Keir, who has managed to strike the first trade deal with Trump, will want to leverage his “good relationship” with the US leader at the G7 to press for de-escalation in the Middle East, while he also hopes to use the summit to further discuss the further the interests of Ukraine with Trump and raise again the prospects of Russian sanctions.
“We’ve got President Zelenskyy coming so that provides a good opportunity for us to discuss again as a group,” the PM told me on the flight over to Canada. “My long-standing view is, we need to get Russia to the table for an unconditional ceasefire. That’s not been really straightforward. But we do need to be clear about what we need to get to the table and that if that doesn’t happen, sanctions will undoubtedly be part of the discussion at the G7.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (R) is greeted by Mark Carney as he arrives in Ottawa ahead of the G7
But that the leaders are not planning for a joint communique – a document outlining what the leaders have agreed – tells you a lot. When they last gathered with Trump in Canada for the G7 back in 2018, the US president rather spectacularly fell out with Justin Trudeau when the former Canadian president threatened to retaliate against US tariffs and refused to sign the G7 agreement.
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Since then, Trump has spoken of his desire to turn Canada into the 51st state of the US, a suggestion that helped catapult the Liberal Party beyond their Conservative rivals and back into power in the recent Canadian elections, as Mark Carney stood on a ticket of confronting Trump’s aggression.
With so much disagreement between the US and allies, it is hard to see where progress might be made over the next couple of days. But what these leaders will agree on is the need to take down the temperature in the Middle East and for all the unpredictability around these relationships, what is certain is a sense of urgency around Iran and Israel that could find these increasingly disparate allies on common ground.
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