Conservatives rank THIRD in Scotland: Leader Douglas Ross blames Boris Johnson for Conservatives losing up to 10% of votes and says local election result is ‘a message to the PM’ on Partygate
- The Tories wait to know if he has slipped below Labor in local elections
- Leader Douglas Ross said the result was “very disappointing and challenging”.
- Acknowledged that defeated candidates said Partygate was a problem
Voters in Scotland sent ‘a message to the Prime Minister’ over Partygate by defeating the Tories in local elections, leader Douglas Ross said today.
He lashed out as the party fell to the third-largest place in the country, in percentage of votes and seats, behind the SNP and Labour.
The percentage of the Conservative vote in Scotland has fallen, with several wards seeing a drop of more than 10 per cent compared to 2017.
Speaking to BBC News, Mr Ross said: “In too many parts of Scotland we have lost excellent candidates and councilors have not been re-elected because it seems that many of our supporters decided to sit down in protest and not cast their vote.” and we have lost as a result of that.
“There is absolutely no doubt that people have sent a message to the Prime Minister and the Government, particularly around Partygate. That’s what came out loud and clear.
Ross, who had called for the prime minister’s resignation for violating lockdown rules but later endorsed him in Ukraine, said the next few days were “crucial” in the war.
But he added that the prime minister “simply cannot ignore the message that voters have sent, not just here in Scotland but across the UK.”
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the result was “very disappointing and challenging”.
When asked about Partygate, his colleague Miles Biggs, the shadow social justice secretary, said: “There’s no denying that and I think speaking to people yesterday, they were certainly not happy with the Prime Minister’s actions and his equipment”.
Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon attends the annual Royal Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh today.
Unlike some places in the rest of the UK where votes were counted overnight, ballots in Scotland were counted throughout Friday with final results to be announced in the early afternoon.
When asked about Partygate, Tory leader Miles Biggs, the shadow social justice secretary, said: “There’s no denying that and I think speaking to people yesterday, they were certainly not happy with the actions of the Prime Minister and his team”.
Previously, senior figures in the Scottish Conservatives had told The Times that they expected “huge losses” due to partygate.
But former Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins described that comment as “nonsense”.
He noted that Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross had endorsed Boris Johnson to remain in the No. 10 spot.
On Twitter, Tomkins said: “Whatever the results are today, Douglas Ross owns this, not Boris.
‘It was Douglas who changed direction, Douglas who turned and Douglas who backed the prime minister. He and his team should bear the consequences, not pass the ball.’
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Scottish voters had “sent a message” to Boris Johnson and his Conservatives.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Blackford said: “The important story in Scotland is the fact that the Tories are being pushed back.
‘His vote is down and I think what really matters today is that voters have sent a message to Boris Johnson.
‘I think there are two things that count; one is of course the cost of living crisis – more needs to be done, and the other is partygate.
“I think people in Scotland have made it very clear that they don’t want any more of this from Boris Johnson and his Conservatives.”
He added that the voters had sent a “very clear message” and “we can celebrate the fact that the Tories have received the message that we expected.”
Commercial
