Tories ‘on right side of public opinion on all big issues’ – Findlay

The Scottish Conservatives are on the right side of public opinion on all key issues, party leader Russell Findlay will say.

Giving a speech in Glasgow, Mr Findlay is expected to say that he is in tune with the Scottish public.

Polls have consistently shown the Tories losing public support, with the party – which is the second largest at Holyrood – often coming fourth behind the SNP, Labour and Reform.

But Mr Findlay will insist his party’s stance on key issues, from oil and gas to the cost of living and crime, chimes with mainstream Scotland.

Because of this, Mr Findlay expects his party to defy the pollsters on May 7.

“We can be confident because we go into this election knowing we’re on the right side of public opinion on all the big issues,” he will say.

“Whether it is energy, and our support for oil and gas and new nuclear generation in Scotland; or criminal justice, and our demand for honest sentencing; or education, and our plan to give headteachers the power to exclude violent pupils.

“Most people out there agree with our common-sense plans.”

The Scottish Tory is expected to say that the the cost-of-living crisis will be “at the heart” of his Scottish Parliament campaign.

“People work hard but struggle to pay the bills,” he will say.

“The weekly shop gets more expensive. There’s too much month at the end of the money.

“In recent weeks, the BBC published a major poll showing that the cost of living was a top priority for two out of three Scots. And one in three said the economy was a priority.

“We are committed to addressing both.

“We are committed to putting more money in people’s pockets. We would do this by cutting taxes. We would back business to grow our flatlining economy.

“That’s the Conservative way. It’s what we believe in – and it’s what people want.”

He will urge Scots to back the Scottish Tories on the peach list ballot, which he will describe as the “secret weapon to stop an SNP majority and end John Swinney’s threat to hold an independence referendum”.

“It worked in 2016, it worked at the last election in 2021, and it can work again in a few weeks’ time,” he will say.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown MSP said the Conservatives had “trashed the economy” by “causing the cost of living to soar”.

He said: “As a result of the Conservative Party’s disastrous record, people in Scotland are paying more for their energy bills, more for their mortgages, and more for their weekly shop.

“The Tories deserved to get absolutely hammered at the election – and all the polls suggest they will.

“In contrast, a vote for the SNP on May 7 is a vote to protect our NHS, deliver the best cost-of-living support for families anywhere in the UK, and secure a fresh start with independence.”