The leader of the Scottish Conservatives said Tory voters should “do what is best for the country” and support “the strongest candidate to beat the SNP” in their constituency.

But the remarks in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph have sparked condemnation from his own party’s London headquarters. A spokesman for the party based in London said: “This is emphatically not the view of the Conservative Party.

“We want people to vote for Conservative candidates wherever they are standing as that’s the best way to keep Labour and the SNP out.”

Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, at First Minster's Questions. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie described Mr Ross’s comments as “very strange” as she stressed Scottish Labour would be making no similar concession.

"I also find it quite arrogant, because it’s not a matter for parties to decide,” she told the BBC. “This is a matter for voters and I just see it as a desperate measure by the Tories to shore up the vote in the seats that they do hold."

Ms Baillie added: “Let me very clear with all your listeners and indeed with Douglas Ross – there is no mistaking this. We are asking people to vote Labour. If they want to see the back of the Conservatives in the UK Government because they’ve had enough of being let down by them, and if they want to see the back of the SNP in Holyrood, then the only vote that will do that is a Labour vote.”

Mr Ross said the priorities of voters should be removing sitting SNP MPs at the general election due next year.

Scottish Conservative party leader Douglas Ross suggest people vote Labour to oust the SNP in seats the Tories can't win.

His declaration came after successive polls following the appointment of Humza Yousaf as Nicola Sturgeon’s successor as First Minister and SNP leader showed Labour making rapid ground.

A survey published last week carried out by Redfield-Wilton showed forecast Labour cutting the SNP election lead to five points.

The plight of the SNP has deepened further as Mr Yousaf was forced to answer questions over his party’s financial record in the wake of the arrest of former chief executive Peter Murrell on Wednesday. Mr Murrell, who is Ms Sturgeon’s husband, was later released without charge, “pending further investigation”.

Mr Ross, said preventing another referendum should be top of voters’ minds. Speaking as part of The Telegraph’s documentary on the future of Scotland, entitled Is This the Beginning of the End for the SNP?, Mr Ross backed Tory supporters voting tactically to hurt the nationalists.

“I will always encourage Scottish Conservative voters to vote Scottish Conservative,” he said. “But I think generally the public can see, and they want the parties to accept, that where there is the strongest candidate to beat the SNP, you get behind that candidate.”

The Scottish Tories leader added: “If parties maybe look a bit beyond their own narrow party agenda to what’s best for the country ... what would be best is if we see this grip that the SNP has on Scotland at the moment loosened, and we see a change coming.”

Scottish Tories chairman Craig Hoy later attempted to hose down Mr Ross’s comments, claiming it was “quite clear” the party leader did not say people should be voting Labour.

"We will obviously and always advocate that Scottish Conservatives vote Scottish Conservative,” he said. “But there is an issue that the public in different parts of the country are sophisticated and they will make up their own mind.

"What I can guarantee you is that in many seats across Scotland, particularly because of the weakness and the scandal engulfing the SNP, the Scottish Conservatives have an opportunity to point out that we are the only alternative to the SNP."

Mr Hoy stressed constituencies in north-east Scotland, Ayr and the south of Scotland would be targeted by the Tories at the next general election.

The SNP hold 48 of the 59 available Westminster constituencies in Scotland. But they face a stern challenge to regain the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat, which appears set for a by-election and is being targeted fiercely by Scottish Labour.

Former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier holds the seat, but is expected to lose it after the Parliament’s Standards Committee called for her to be suspended from the Commons for 30 days over Covid rule breaches.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said Mr Ross’s comments showed Labour could not be trusted from making “grubby backroom deals with the Tories”.

He said: “It shows just how little difference there is between the Tories and the pro-Brexit Labour party that Douglas Ross is willing to endorse them instead of his own party.

“The Tories and Labour cannot help but tune up the Better Together band again. Keir Starmer has taken Labour so far to the right that they are now just a pale imitation of the Tories, backing Brexit, supporting brutal austerity and attacking devolution.

“The people of Scotland are all too familiar with Labour making grubby backroom deals with the Tories. Just last year despite [Scottish Labour leader] Anas Sarwar claiming there would be ‘no deals, no coalitions’, his party made deals with the Tories to cling on to power in Scotland’s council chambers.

“Labour has done it before and they will do it again. That is why they cannot be trusted to stand up for the best interests of the people of Scotland.

“Do not give the Tories what they want at the next general election. The only party offering real change for the people of Scotland is the SNP.”

Douglas Ross accused of being 'arrogant' over call to vote Labour to oust SNP at next election rejected by UK Tories

Comments