RUSSELL Findlay has become the first contender to officially confirm he will run to replace Douglas Ross as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
He formally announced his decision late on Sunday evening, with the West of Scotland MSP currently acting as his party’s justice spokesperson.
Findlay worked as a journalist prior to embarking on his career as a Tory MSP, having first been elected to Holyrood in 2021.
Speaking to the Scottish Daily Mail about his candidacy, Findlay said: “There is a common-sense coalition that we can build to meet the aspirations of ordinary people.
“I’m standing as a candidate for the leadership of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party because I believe we have the chance to change Scotland for the better.”
It is currently unclear if anyone else will run in the contest although deputy leader Meghan Gallacher (below), former education spokesperson Jamie Greene and former environment spokesperson Maurice Golden have been touted as possible contenders.
The leadership race was sparked after Douglas Ross announced he would be standing to be an MP in the 2024 General Election in a dramatic U-turn.
He had said he would step down from Holyrood were he to be re-elected to Westminster although lost the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat to the SNP’s Seamus Logan.
Findlay added: “I believe there is wide, and as-yet untapped, support in Scotland for a conservatism that is unashamedly aspirational in its character and for encouraging a society which respects and rewards individual effort and initiative.
“We know there are many people out there in Scotland who think Conservative but don’t currently vote Conservative.
“There are many people who don’t feel we, or any other party, properly represents them.”
Findlay has also worked as the director of communications for the Scottish Tories before being elected as an MSP.
He has already secured the support of Tory MSPs Rachael Hamilton, Miles Briggs and Douglas Lumsden.
