Murdo Fraser slams blue-on-blue attacks amid 'Trojan Horse' Scottish Tory leadership race row

A row has broken out after a senior Scottish Conservative politician accused a leadership contender of a "Trojan Horse" plan to break up the party. 

John Lamont, the shadow Scottish secretary, said he was concerned the “real purpose” of Murdo Fraser’s bid for the top job was to split from the UK Tories.

It comes after Mr Fraser became the sixth MSP to announce his leadership candidacy. Writing in The Scotsman on Wednesday, he said members had been “badly let down” and only he could deliver “real change”.

Mr Fraser, a party veteran, previously mooted the idea of a breakaway party when he ran against Ruth Davidson in 2011. But he said he had changed his mind, and now backed setting up a commission to examine party structures. It would make recommendations after the next Holyrood election in 2026. Mr Lamont said dividing the party is “deeply unpopular” with members. Writing in the Scottish Daily Mail, he said: “A split party shouldn’t be on the table. But it is clearly Murdo’s preferred option and I’m concerned it’s the real purpose of his leadership bid and his proposal for a ‘commission’.

“As it stands, this looks like a commission to separate our party. It looks like a Trojan Horse for splitting the party and raises more questions than it answers.”

Mr Lamont, the MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, also said he was “a little dismayed” to see Mr Fraser criticise Douglas Ross and his team, insisting it was important to avoid “blue-on-blue attacks”.

Mr Fraser, who has been an MSP for the Mid Scotland and Fife region since 2001, said party members in Scotland had been let down by former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and also by Mr Ross - the outgoing Scottish Tory leader - who announced his resignation during the general election campaign. Mr Lamont said: “Our members deserve to be treated with respect. They cannot have the wool pulled over their eyes. If Murdo’s commission is - as it appears to me - a vehicle to split the party by stealth, that must be made clear. And I want to hear the views of every candidate on it. If it’s a Trojan Horse to divide the party, then members should know that upfront.”

Mr Lamont served as Ms Davidson’s campaign manager when she defeated Mr Fraser more than a decade ago.

Responding, Mr Fraser said: “I won’t be indulging in blue-on-blue attacks on other candidates or misrepresenting their platforms in the leadership race, and I am disappointed that others don’t seem to be taking the same approach. Whoever wins we need to have a united party to move forward.”

Tory MSP Brian Whittle, who is also running for the party leadership, said he was “disappointed that John has decided to try and create division where none exists”, adding: “No blue-on-blue attacks to promote your personal preference please.”

Stephen Kerr, a Tory MSP and former MP, tweeted: “John, the proposal for an independent commission is supported by all but one of the leadership candidates. There’s nothing ‘Trojan Horse’ about it. The party members would have the final say on the commission’s recommendations, not the party leader. But you know that.”