Faltering Scots Tories shoot the messenger as Michael Crow departs

The party is in turmoil after former TV journalist Michael Crow, who was close to Prime Minister David Cameron and his communications director, former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, left "by mutual consent".

A review is under way into why the Scottish Tories failed to gain on their paltry single Westminster seat, despite the party's huge gains in England and Wales.

Yesterday, Mr Crow, who was brought in as director of strategy and communications on a reported six-figure salary, became the first high-profile victim of that failure.

Officially, the party said he was leaving after only 18 months due to "financial constraints". The party no longer receives donations from Monaco-based Irvine Laidlaw and is having to move out of plush 100,000-a-year offices in the capital's Princes Street and into a building owned by its Edinburgh North and Leith association.

However, senior figures believe Mr Crow's departure has intensified a split in the party between traditionalists and those seeking to modernise.

One senior Tory insider said: "I wanted him to stay, but there were undoubtedly elements of the MSP group who did not want him to. He was seen as someone who wanted to accelerate change, and that did not sit well with a small group of people who are self- serving and in denial.

"There will not be much unhappiness in the (Scots party leader] Annabel Goldie group that he has gone. It is unquestionable that if she wanted him to stay, he could have – the money could have been raised.

"That's the view of senior people in the party, but the decision was made by the executive. It's left a split between the MSPs and other Conservatives.

"Change needs to happen. It has happened to every other political party that has messed up, so it is coming."

The Tories targeted 11 seats in Scotland at the election but took none of them and increased their share of the vote by only one point, to 16.7 per cent.

Party stalwart Lord Forsyth, who has been co-opted on to a commission investigating why the party was unable to capitalise on Labour's unpopularity, has called for improved leadership.

Mr Crow was a well-known face in Scotland after his time as presenter of the weekly Politics Now on STV and was a high- profile appointment for the Scottish Conservative Party.

He was brought in to act as a link between Tory central office in London and the Scottish Conservatives, and he would regularly travel south to attend meetings with Mr Cameron and Mr Coulson.

Had the election gone better for the Tories in Scotland, it is likely he would have been part of Mr Coulson's team in London, or at least a key adviser in the Scotland Office. But with Scottish Secretary's post going to the Liberal Democrats as part of the coalition deal, even this door was closed to him.

It is understood Tory central office did not want him to go, but did not express an interest when the Scottish party was making its decision.

Mr Crow said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Conservative Party and wish everyone well in the UK government and in the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections.

"The party faces financial constraints at the moment and that has led to the current situation."

Some Tory MSPs felt Mr Crow had failed effectively to get across to the electorate their achievements at Holyrood, such as 10,000 extra police officers and an independent audit of government spending.

However, a number of defeated general election candidates have been complimentary about his work. Alex Johnstone MSP, who stood in Aberdeenshire West and Kincardine, said: "I thought the level of expertise he brought into the party was exceptional, and he worked hard to ensure our message went out across Scotland.

"The problems we had in terms of not achieving the result we want were nothing to do with Mike."

Jason Rust, the candidate in Edinburgh South West, said: "I thought he was really good. I even had Labour councillors (in Edinburgh] saying how effective we were at getting the message out."

One candidate admitted: "There were some issues in terms of billboards. For example, in areas of high deprivation, we had posters up about welfare reform. That did worry people."

After the result, daggers were out for Mr Crow and Ramsay Jones, director of media for the Scottish Conservatives.

However, Mr Jones was closer to Ms Goldie and the party's only Scottish MP, David Mundell. Having worked for the Scottish Conservatives for more than a decade, he would have also had to receive a bigger pay-off.

Despite the Tories' current difficulties, David McLetchie, the party's chief whip at Holyrood, is confident they can perform well in next year's Scottish elections.

"We are very disappointed that we don't have Michael Crow to help us in the campaign, but we will have to manage without him," he said. "I've won my seat on two occasions, even defeating the current Labour leader (Iain Gray]. I didn't need Michael Crow's help to do that. We will have to pull together with the team that we've got."

Scottish Tory chairman Andrew Fulton said: "Michael has been an extremely effective and efficient director of strategy and communications for the Conservative Party in Scotland.

"The General Election campaign he helped run was extremely professional and well-organised. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, we have to let him go, but we hope he will play a role in the future of the Conservative Party in some capacity."