Exclusive:Russell Findlay: Holyrood has turned into a pantomime, as he takes swipe at defected Tory MSP Graham Simpson
The Scottish Conservative leader also says he has not spoken to Graham Simpson MSP since Holyrood returned.
Russell Findlay says Holyrood has turned into a pantomime - and not having to speak to former Tory MSP Graham Simpson is a good part of his defection to Reform UK.
The Scottish Conservative leader was visiting a components manufacturer in Stirling on Friday to launch his party’s new economic paper when he made the comments.
It comes after a new poll suggested the Scottish Conservatives could slip into fourth place at next year’s Scottish Parliament election. The Survation poll puts the SNP out in front on 37 per cent, with Scottish Labour in second on 20 per cent.
However, it suggests the Scottish Conservatives will only attract 11 per cent of the vote, putting them behind Reform UK on 18 per cent.
When asked what he would do over the course of the next seven months to turn Tory fortunes around, Mr Findlay said: “We don’t have long, but we are fighting hard.
“We want to talk about the issues that matter to people. I completely understand why people feel so disillusioned with politics and so disconnected from the Scottish Parliament. They’ve watched this Parliament turn into a bit of a pantomime, obsessing over Nicola Sturgeon’s gender self-ID, for example.
“That’s why we have launched an economic paper, because we want people in the real world to understand that the only way for government to function and spend more on improving public services is to grow the economy.”
Mr Findlay said he wanted “every single decision of government” to be done with economic prosperity in mind.
He said: “We don’t want any more tax rises for businesses and hard-working Scots who look at their pay packet and see how much is getting taken out every month.
“They’ve had quite enough of governments, both UK Labour and the SNP in Edinburgh, picking their pockets, which is why it is critical we talk about the economy and show the people of Scotland that we are on their side, we are on the same team.”
It has been a difficult summer for Mr Findlay, losing two of his MSPs. Jeremy Balfour left the party to sit as an independent, and Mr Simpson defected to Reform UK.
This takes the total of MSPs lost under Mr Findlay’s leadership to three after Jamie Greene defected to the Lib Dems earlier this year.
When asked by The Scotsman if he had spoken to Mr Simpson since the Holyrood term began at the beginning of the month, Mr Findlay said: “I’ve had no cause to speak with Graham Simpson, which is one of the positives of this defection.”
The Scottish Conservatives’ economic paper, called ‘Back on Track’, promises to cut red tape and end “woke” business practices.
Amongst the proposals are opposing income tax increases, introducing a bill to cut red tape, calling on the Scottish Government to drop its focus on diversity, inclusion and net zero, and merging Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish National Investment Bank and Skills Development Scotland into one organisation called Growth Scotland.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: "Economic growth is a priority for the First Minister. This government has a strong record of supporting businesses through transformative policy decisions like the Scottish National Investment Bank, the Techscaler initiative and our £500 million investment in offshore wind.
“Since 2007, GDP per person in Scotland has been growing faster than the UK and productivity increasing at more than twice the rate of the UK as a whole. And just last week the First Minister was putting the case for the economic interests of Scotland to the president of the United States in the Oval Office.
“This paper claims that comparing Scotland’s economic performance with similar-sized nations such as Denmark, Norway and Ireland makes for ‘grim reading’, but omits the one thing these high-performing nations have in common – independence.”
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