Russell Findlay criticises SNP ‘woke’ policies at UK Tory conference

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said the SNP has turned Scotland into a “laboratory for weird and wacky policies”.

In a speech on the main stage at the UK party conference in Manchester, Mr Findlay referred to Scottish thinkers and pioneers before criticising SNP policies saying “if it’s woke, they want it”.

He said: “Scotland can lay claim to many great thinkers and pioneers. The country of Adam Smith, the father of capitalism. Of David Hume, the great moral philosopher, and the many Scots who helped forge the Great British Empire.

“But under the SNP, Scotland has become a laboratory for weird and wacky policies. For the SNP, no policy can be too harmful, half-baked or unhinged. From rent controls, to a universal basic income, to a four-day working week. If it’s woke, they want it.”

He also spoke about Nicola Sturgeon’s self-ID law proposals, which the UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch opposed. He said “our party killed it stone dead”.

He continued by saying that people in Scotland want “greater freedom” and the party wanted to deliver that.

He said: “The people of Scotland don’t want independence, but they do want greater freedom.

“That’s the freedom to keep more of their hard-earned money, not pay more tax than people in the rest of Britain for doing the same job.

“Small businesses want freedom from the SNP’s relentless barrage of rules and regulations. Ordinary people want freedom to speak openly, not constrained by Humza Yousaf’s chilling hate crime law.

“As the party of the Union, we want to give back freedom and control to the people of Scotland. Control over their own lives, their own decisions, their own money. That’s what we proudly stand for as Scottish Conservatives and Unionists.”

Mr Findlay took to the main stage on the opening day of the conference, which is running until October 8.

In an earlier speech at the Scottish fringe at the conference, Mr Findlay said the party had “learned lessons since the general election”.

He said: “Alongside our straight-talking UK leader Kemi Badenoch, I’ve been honest about where we went wrong. On taxes, on immigration, on many conservative principles we could and should have done better. We are a new Conservative Party.

“Over the past year, we’ve engaged with those who lost trust in our party. Since being elected, I’ve travelled to all points of Scotland to hear directly from real people.

“In the north, I’ve met workers in oil and gas and renewables. In the south, I’ve met farmers and hospitality workers. In the west, I’ve met apprentices and shop workers and in the east, I’ve met nurses and tech entrepreneurs.

“The most common thing I hear is this: Everything has become too expensive. Not just the punishing rates of income tax, but everyday living costs.

“Folk feel crushed under the weight of constantly rising prices. They are frustrated at declining local services. They despair at the lack of opportunity for young people.”

Mr Findlay claims the “SNP’s biggest failure” is the economy, saying First Minister John Swinney “talks a good game on the economy, but he is no financial magician – other than making people’s wages disappear”.

Referring to Mr Swinney, he said: “He’s been in the SNP cabinet for 17 of 18 years. He’s been there for 810 new government strategies and countless talking shops. The tax rises that he imposed are already hitting people’s payslips.”

Mr Findlay also cited Labour’s national insurance rises as one reason that Reform has seen high polling numbers.

He said: “Their national insurance hike wasn’t just a broken promise – it broke our economy. It has cost jobs and investment, it has destroyed any chance of growing the economy.

“It has left people feeling that change is impossible and this has caused some to consider Reform UK, but they have even less regard for sound money than the Labour Party. They don’t believe in fiscal responsibility, as we do. They are not conservatives.”

The Scottish Conservative leader said that going forward the party would focus on economic growth and that “the economy is topic number one – always”.

He said that he would be launching a business strategy ahead of next year’s Scottish parliament election to set out the Conservatives’ plan to boost the economy in Scotland.

Mr Findlay said: “To ensure we remain the party of business in Scotland, I am today launching our biggest policy programme drive in a generation.

“I have recruited some of my most experienced and knowledgeable MSP colleagues. They will work alongside members of the business community.

“They will produce a detailed strategy for Scotland’s economy ahead of next year’s crucial Scottish Parliament election. This blueprint for economic growth will ensure the Scottish Conservatives will fight on an election platform of making a tangible impact on people’s lives.”

Reform MSP Graham Simpson said: “Next year Scotland has the chance to vote for a government which can help the country to recover from 19 disastrous years of the SNP. The answer is not to back a party that gave us austerity and fuelled the migrant crisis.

“The Tories broke Britain’s economy – they don’t get to lecture anyone now.

“While Findlay takes his party further into irrelevance, Reform UK is focused on delivering a positive, forward-looking vision for Scotland. People want genuine change and that’s why Reform is the fastest-growing party in Scotland.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “The Scottish Government has a proven record of prioritising economic growth and attracting investment, which has resulted in Scotland’s 10th year as the top location for UK foreign investment outside of London.

“We remain firmly focused on growing the economy which is the only route to help lift families out of poverty, improve public services and tackle climate change. Ultimately, only the powers of independence will allow us to create a wealthier and fairer nation for everyone in Scotland.”

An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “Just three years ago the Tories crashed the economy with the Liz Truss mini budget sending mortgage costs spiralling and putting pensions in peril.

“Labour has returned stability to the economy enabling five cuts to interest rates since the general election.

“The tax decisions we took at the budget last year mean that we have been able to deliver on the priorities of the British people, from investing in the NHS to cutting waiting lists and putting more money in their pockets with a wage boost for millions.”