Money talks, but new party may offer something even more valuable – credibility among voters

IF MURDO Fraser didn’t know he was in the battle of his life when he started floating his breakaway party idea at the weekend, he certainly does now.

His opponents knew they had one real opportunity to knock him off course. They had to do it early and they had to do it hard – and that is exactly what they tried to do. For 24 hours, the traditionalists have blitzed the airwaves and deluged the newspapers with accusations of betrayal, declarations of support for the old party and, crucially, warnings that major donors will walk away if Mr Fraser is allowed to succeed.

The traditionalists needed a mouthpiece for their anti-Fraser vitriol, and they found it in Ruth Davidson, the young leadership challenger.

Once hyped as the new, fresh face of Scottish Conservatism, Ms Davidson has allowed herself to become the voice of all those reactionary elements within the party who are scared of change.

But the plan to kill off the breakaway-party idea hasn’t worked. Mr Fraser withstood yesterday’s early blitz and, by last night, he was still standing.

“We really have got them rattled,” one of his key strategists said last night with a huge grin.

Not only that, but throughout yesterday’s onslaught, Mr Fraser was unveiling new supporters, both in parliament and in the business community, taking yet more ground from his beleaguered opponents. Mr Fraser knows, though, that money is vital. If the traditionalists can give the impression that donations will dry up if Mr Fraser wins the leadership, then many members will be too scared to back his radical idea.

If, on the other hand, Mr Fraser can sell the idea that he has dozens of new, enthusiastic backers waiting for the opportunity to give to his new party, that will help win the battle for the membership. He may have to admit, though, that he won’t be able to raise as much or spend as much as the existing Scottish Conservative Party – but he probably doesn’t need to.

There has been a growing sense of unease among the donors about the shocking lack of return they have been receiving on their investment. Donors gave the party nearly £1 million to spend on the UK general election campaign last year and got just one MP back for their money.

This is the context behind Mr Fraser’s launch.

Everyone in the party knows that the Scottish Tories have spent, spent and spent again, and emerged with almost nothing to show for it.

Mr Fraser’s argument may well include an admission that he may not be able to raise as much as the current treasurers of the party, but he will counter that by arguing that he has something worth much, much more than just money – he will argue that, with his new party, he will offer the people something they might actually vote for.

And, as everybody in Scottish politics knows, that is something the Scottish Conservatives have not been able to claim for almost a generation.