Kemi Badenoch hails Russell Findlay as ‘best person’ to be first minister

Russell Findlay is the best person to be Scotland’s first minister, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said.

Mrs Badenoch was speaking as the Scottish Tories fell to fourth in a recent poll ahead of May’s Holyrood election, with a projection suggesting the party could win as few as 12 seats.

The Tory leader praised her Scottish counterpart’s “integrity”, telling journalists during a visit to Aberdeen on Friday: “The only poll that matters is the election, and I have here the very best person to be the first minister of Scotland.

“Russell Findlay is a man of integrity, unlike other party leaders in Scotland, who are away with the fairies.

“He is someone who is actually grounded, working hard for the people here.

“We were speaking to Scotch whisky yesterday, we’re talking to the oil and gas sector today – we care about people’s jobs, we care about people’s lives, and I know that during this campaign the Scottish people will see that.”

Asked if the Scottish Tories can make a difference in the election after their fall in the polls compared to a surging Reform UK, Mrs Badenoch said: “We can and we will.”

Polling has consistently predicted a substantial drop in seats for the Scottish Tories, with the party internally bracing for a bad result as it continues to deal with the fallout from the final few years of Conservative rule at Westminster.

Mrs Badenoch finished a two-day visit north of the border on Friday by touring an offshore training centre with Mr Findlay and shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie.