Why Douglas Ross is being a realist, not defeatist, in suggesting people vote Labour tactically to get rid of SNP

Douglas Ross has suggested people should vote for the candidates best placed to defeat the SNP, in an admission that has prompted a deeply insincere backlash.

Tory HQ has already slapped down the party’s Scottish leader, with a spokesperson insisting this was “emphatically not the view of the Conservative Party”, before adding Tory votes were “the best way to keep Labour and the SNP out".

The SNP have also sought to use the comments to their advantage, claiming it shows “just how little difference there is between the Tories and the pro-Brexit Labour”.

Unfortunately for Mr Ross, he appears to have united his own party with the SNP in thinking what he said was wrong. Even more annoying for him is the fact he’s right, and they both know it.

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

Britain does not have proportional representation. When people vote, they often do so tactically, to deliver the result closest to what they want, with some parties unlikely to win in certain seats.

You probably won’t see a Tory win in Glasgow. Labour aren’t going to sweep the South-West. The Liberal Democrats are unlikely to take the red wall, or indeed most seats.

Mr Ross is just articulating what every party knows and only complains about when it impacts them. Tactical voting is commonplace in Britain and a requirement in most seats.

His job title is not just Scotland, it’s Scottish Conservative and Unionist leader. He leads the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party. From a Unionist perspective, it is inarguable the best way to protect it is to oust the governing party in Scotland; the SNP.

Mr Ross is not being a defeatist, or undermining his own party, he’s being a realist who wants to protect the union, which is part of his job. And he is finding a way to do so when polls show the broader Tory party is heading for opposition.

It should also not be a surprise his view is not that of his Westminster colleagues. The Moray MP has frequently criticised his own party, whether it was speaking out on Dominic Cummings, calling for Boris Johnson to go, or even submitting a letter.

The only surprise here is Mr Ross said what others only think, in a game where so many deny the political reality because it’s easier than confronting it.