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”.
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
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Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
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This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
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UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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