Scottish Tories are 'stuck in the Thatcherite past'

Scottish Tories have been accused of living in a "Thatcherite past" after it emerged they had effectively been cut loose by their parent party in London.

The Scotsman's sister newspaper Scotland on Sunday revealed yesterday that, since the general election, senior figures in the UK Conservative Party no longer consult or communicate with their Scottish colleagues.

Scottish Labour's election and campaigns spokesman John Park claimed the failure of the Scottish Conservatives to add to their tally of one seat north of the Border at the general election in May showed the party was out of touch.

He said: "The Tories are all over the place and these latest revelations show just how close the Scottish Tories are to becoming completely irrelevant.

"The fact that they could only win one seat at the general election has meant they have been cut adrift by their London bosses.

"The real problem for the Tories is that their policies are still stuck in the Thatcherite past, and it's no wonder that Scots continue to reject them."

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said Prime Minister David Cameron had met the party's Holyrood leader Annabel Goldie on a visit to Scotland during his first few days in office.

The spokesman went on: "Since the election, Mr Cameron has been busy running the country, but it's not true to say that he has not meet the party leader in Scotland.

"Mr Cameron held a meeting with the leader of the Scottish Conservatives when he came to the parliament in his first week as Prime Minister."

The failure of the Tories to increase their Scottish representation at Westminster sparked a review of the party's organisation, led by former minister Lord Sanderson.