Who is the Tory election candidate with Theresa May link looking to oust SNP's longest-serving MP?
The Scottish Conservatives have the patch of the SNP’s longest-serving MP in their sights - and they have chosen the former head of Downing Street’s Union Unit, who campaigned alongside Theresa May, as the candidate to take back what once was Tory voting territory.
Former MP Luke Graham will attempt to claim the new constituency of Perth and Kinross-shire - but he has to get past SNP veteran Pete Wishart to win.
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Hide AdParty leader Douglas Ross was out speaking to party activists in the city on Tuesday morning alongside the party’s candidate.
Both Mr Ross and Mr Graham have said they have the winning combination needed to beat the SNP in an area which has eluded them for the past 23 years.


Toppling Mr Wishart will be no mean feat - he was first elected in 2001, years before the nationalist boom the party has enjoyed in recent years. Every time Mr Wishart has stood for election, he has defeated the Conservatives.
The Tories came within just 21 votes of him with Lord Ian Duncan in the 2017 general election - but they will need more than that to win on July 4.
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Hide AdSpeaking to The Scotsman, Mr Graham said: “I have a good record of campaigning in Perthshire for ten years. I am putting forward positive ideas and solutions for Perth and Kinross-shire.
“The SNP has had over 20 years of MPs, MSPs and council administrations - that is enough time to put forward what they said they would do. Perth is struggling and it needs good, fresh ideas. That is the reason to vote for me.”
Mr Graham was elected as the MP for Ochil and South Perthshire in 2017, but lost the seat to the SNP’s John Nicolson in 2019.
During this time he worked closely with former prime minister Theresa May - the former PM even came to campaign side-by-side with him in the constituency in the 2019 election campaign.
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Hide AdThe new constituency of Perth and Kinross-shire takes in some of the areas previously covered in the Ochil and South Perthshire constituency.
Mr Ross told activists in Perth that Mr Graham had the experience and knowledge needed to win in this constituency.
He said: “I have sat alongside Luke on the green benches and I know he is an absolute champion in the area who will stand up to one of the most adversarial nationalist MPs. Pete Wishart has a long and sorry track record and would rather pick fights than work with the UK government to deliver for this constituency.”
Enter into the ring Mr Wishart - the man who has held countless frontbench SNP roles and is chair of Westminster’s Scottish affairs committee.
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Hide AdHe said he would not take anything for granted in this election, but that he believed the Conservatives may even fall into third place in Perth and Kinross-shire behind Labour.
In 2019 Labour got fewer than 2,500 votes in the Perth and North Perthshire constituency, coming fourth behind the SNP, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems.
Mr Wishart said: “The Conservatives and Labour are polling neck-and-neck here, such is the calamitous failure - I have never seen that in Perth and Kinross.


“They have a long way to go to beat Labour, never mind the SNP. We are very confident as I am standing on a record of 23 years of experience.
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Hide Ad“Everyone here knows someone I have assisted over the years and people want the opportunity to replace the Tory government of Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.”
Mr Graham said he believed he could distance himself from Westminster scandals such as ‘Partygate’ and the mini-Budget, as he has not been an MP since 2019.
In response, Mr Wishart said: “In 2019 Mr Graham was going round defending the record of Boris Johnson, the most calamitous prime minister we have ever had. He needs to take a look back at what he was saying in 2019.”
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