Exclusive:Brian Whittle MSP reveals why he is standing against Russell Findlay to lead Scottish Conservatives

Brian Whittle MSP

Brian Whittle MSP says he is the man that can rebuild the Conservatives in Scotland, as he throws his hat into the ring for Tory leadership.

Mr Whittle becomes only the second Scottish Conservative to announce their intention to stand in the race to replace Douglas Ross as party leader.

Writing exclusively in The Scotsman, the former Olympian and South Scotland MSP says he can harness the resilience Team GB is showing at the Paris Olympics to rebuild the party after a dismal general election.

“Losing hurts, every single time,” Mr Whittle told The Scotsman. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s in politics, in business, in sport, or in any other competition.

“For me though, it’s not the losses that matter - it’s how I respond to them.

“One of the most valuable things I learned in sport is resilience - that drive to brush yourself off, pick yourself up and start thinking about how to beat whoever beat you.

“That’s the moment we’re in as Scottish Conservatives.

“This leadership is when we decide how we pick ourselves up and prepare for the next race.

“It is my intention to stand in the leadership contest.”

Mr Whittle will formally launch his leadership bid once the party’s management board has announced the rules and timeline of the election.

So far the only other MSP to confirm they are standing is West Scotland MSP Russell Findlay.

Mr Findlay already has several MSPs publicly supporting him, and is widely tipped as the favourite to win the competition.

But now he will be standing against Mr Whittle, who says he can make the Conservatives a serious contender for government in Scotland.

Mr Whittle grew up in Troon and competed for Team GB at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.

He won gold medals in the 4x400m relay at both the 1986 and 1994 European athletics championships, and still coaches the next generation of Scottish athletes.

Mr Whittle became involved in politics after campaigning for Scotland to remain in the UK at the 2014 independence referendum and became an MSP in 2016.

He is now the party’s environment, biodiversity and land reform spokesman and says the party must do better if it is to succeed in the 2026 Holyrood election.

“In 25 years of devolution in Scotland, we are the only party represented in Holyrood that has never been in government,” Mr Whittle said. “We have been a credible opposition, a passionate pro-UK counterweight to the pro-independence SNP and Greens, but never a serious contender for government.

“We can do better than that.

“As a party we must be more proactive.

“It is not enough to respond to events - we must shape them.”

As leader, he says his three “core principles” for the party will be education, enterprise and empowering people.

He says education has been “neglected and undermined” in recent years and needs to improve if Scotland is to reach net zero, grow the economy and improve the NHS.

Mr Whittle also says enterprise and economic growth has also been “underappreciated” for too long, with business being viewed as a “necessary evil or a convenient source of cash” by successive governments.

“Supporting business and encouraging enterprise should be synonymous with the Scottish Conservatives,” he added.

“When Scottish businesses succeed, Scotland succeeds.”

In his vision of the future, every individual member will have the chance to have a “meaningful say” on the issues that affect them, saying that too often “vocal minorities crowd out those who disagree”.

He said: “I want the Scottish Conservatives to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard, but we must also be willing to tell hard truths.

“A party that tries to be all things to all people will most likely end up being nothing to anyone.”

However he warns there are no “quick fixes” to turn the Scottish Conservatives’ fortunes around, but adds “few things worth doing are easy”.

Mr Whittle said: “This is our opportunity to choose a different path for our party and offer voters a different path for Scotland’s future.

“I’m ready to seize that opportunity.”

The leadership contest is taking place after Douglas Ross announced his resignation during the general election campaign.

A last minute decision to ditch David Duguid as the candidate for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East and stand in his place backfired, and he was forced to announce his intention to step down after an internal party backlash.

Mr Ross lost this election bid after receiving 12,513 votes to the SNP’s Seamus Logan’s 13,455 - the Reform UK candidate Jo Hart received 5,562 votes.

Mr Whittle’s announcement comes on the day the deadline to stand for UK Conservative leader closes.

Rishi Sunak announced he is also resigning after the dismal general election result, and those wishing to replace him have until 2.30pm this afternoon to secure the 10 supporting nominations needed to officially enter the race.

Five MPs have so far said they will be standing.

This includes former home secretary, foreign secretary and education secretary James Cleverly, former security Tom Tugendhat, former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, and former home secretary Dame Priti Patel.

The bookies’ favourite Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce she is also standing for election before this afternoon’s deadline.

Former home secretary Suella Braverman is also expected to run in this now crowded contest.