Scottish Conservative leader, Russell Findlay, was in Juniper Green on Monday morning campaigning with local candidate, Sue Webber, who is standing in Edinburgh South Western.
His message was much the same as it has been throughout the campaign – the Conservatives want your peach ballot on Thursday which is the vote for the region rather than the constituency. This is the way that the Conservatives believe the SNP can be stopped in their tracks.
Mr Findlay said casting the peach ballot for the Tories is key to stopping an SNP majority – and the constitutional chaos that would ensue.
Former Scottish Conservatives leader, Douglas Ross, had made the trip south to support campaigners and activists on the doors – but all were met with a loud booing from one resident making her views known. Mr Ross is credited with stopping the SNP from gaining an outright win in 2021 after many voters cast their voice for the Tories on the peach ballot.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “In the capital, like Scotland as a whole, regional list votes for the Scottish Conservatives were crucial to denying the SNP a majority in 2016 and 2021.
“The same applies in 2026. And it’s more important than ever that people vote for us on that peach ballot, with John Swinney promising to push for another divisive referendum if he wins a majority.
“Only Scottish Conservative MSPs can be trusted to defend Scotland’s place in the Union and stand up for common-sense policies, like a crackdown on dangerous e-bikes on our streets, which Sue Webber has championed.”
Reform UK – “band of cranks”
Reform UK lost another candidate over the weekend when Dr Tim Kelly who was standing in East Kilbride and Strathaven stepped down from the party – although he will continue to run as an independent candidate.
Mr Findlay was scathing of the party which is predicted to gain as many as 19 seats. He said: “Lord Offord has assembled a band of cranks who don’t stand for anything.
“I think people realise increasingly, this is not a serious party. It’s a vanity exercise by a bunch of millionaire ego trippers, and they can’t be trusted on the union. I really am not too bothered about the psycho drama of their candidates.
“I’m much, much more concerned that they’ve managed to dupe people into thinking they’re a unionist party when they are not. Nigel Farage is an English nationalist. They’re fielding pro independence candidates, and they’ve even published a route map towards another damaging and divisive referendum.
“People should not fall for this. They need to wake up to the threat that Reform can’t be trusted. They’re not a unionist party. Only the Scottish Conservatives can be trusted to stand up to the SNP.”
Polls
Polls have not been kind to the Scottish Conservatives in the last week or so, but in the latest poll from Norstat for The Sunday Times at the weekend it is predicted that John Swinney will remain as First Minister – but may need other parties to prop up an SNP government.
Mr Findlay said: “We’ve got a positive, 96 page manifesto, completely different to every other manifesto in this campaign, in that it has been costed. We explain exactly how we would save taxpayers money, and we would do so by cutting the SNP’s out of control benefits bill. We would return taxpayers’ money to taxpayers, both in the terms of a dividend of the underspent money every single year, and also by reducing the income tax levels.”
As to the polls, Mr Findlay dismissed them. He said: “I don’t pay attention to the polls. We are fighting for every single vote. We’ve been the second largest party at Holyrood for the past 10 years, and it’s critical to stop John Swinney’s majority. John Swinney arrogantly thinks he’s got this in the bag.
“We can stop them, just as we did in 2021 and 2016. We know that the polls are challenging and that the political landscape is different to how it used to be, but we will be fighting for every vote.”
The Norstat poll said that the Conservatives have gained some ground since last month, but when asked about Reform – which Sir John Curtice believes could gain as many as 19 seats, Mr Findlay was dismissive.
He said: “I’m not worried about any other party, Reform are a fake unionist party. They’re a fake Conservative Party, and people should think long and hard before they cast a vote for Lord Offord’s Reform, because they cannot be trusted on the union.
“John Swinney has made it clear from the beginning of this campaign right through it, that the first thing he will do if he’s back in power, especially if he’s back with the majority, is start to demand another referendum on independence.
“It’s the last thing that people of Scotland want. It would be divisive. It would be damaging, and yet again, we’d have a devolved government in Edinburgh wasting its time on constitutional obsession of independence, not on delivery for the people of Scotland.”
Scottish Conservative candidate for Edinburgh South Western Sue Webber said: “Voters across Edinburgh and Lothians East know that voting Scottish Conservative on their peach ballot delivers MSPs that will always stand up to the SNP and for Scotland’s place in the UK.
“Households grappling with the cost-of-living crisis desperately need a break – and we’d provide it with tax cuts funded by reining in the SNP’s out-of-control benefits bill.
“Our common-sense plans to make the streets safer include empowering the police to automatically confiscate illegal and dangerous e-bikes and e-scooters on sight.
“E-bikes especially wreak havoc on our streets, terrifying pedestrians and causing accidents. They are often linked to organised crime, car theft and housebreaking, so we’d ensure that police officers seized them.”
