cottish Tory chief Douglas Ross has stated his celebration could make beneficial properties north of the border on the subsequent election regardless of poor polling numbers.
The celebration – which is presently assembly in Manchester for its UK convention – has struggled in polling over the previous yr, with Labour surging forward.
In a YouGov ballot of 1,103 Scots between September 8 and September 13, the celebration sits at 16% – rising from 15% – in Westminster voting intentions, behind Labour on 27% and the SNP on 38%.
I am very assured that the Scottish Conservatives can maintain on to the seats we presently have and make beneficial properties
Talking to BBC Radio Scotland from the celebration convention, Mr Ross stated he was assured of accelerating their seat tally in Scotland.
“I’m very assured that the Scottish Conservatives can maintain on to the seats we presently have and make beneficial properties,” he stated.
The celebration presently holds six seats in Scotland, concentrated within the north-east of the nation and within the borders, after shedding seven constituencies within the 2019 election.
“We noticed a latest by-election in South Ayrshire the place the Scottish Conservative vote went up by 20%,” he added.
The celebration’s first choice vote within the Girvan and South Carrick council by-election rose by 19.5% final month in comparison with 2022.
Nonetheless, two impartial candidates within the final council election accounted for 37.2% of the vote, whereas none stood within the by-election.
“Individuals might see in these seats the place the Scottish Conservatives are the primary challengers to the SNP, they wish to make sure that the SNP are instructed how poorly they’re operating the nation for the time being and the way disastrous Humza Yousaf’s management has been,” Mr Ross added.
The Moray MP plans to face down on the subsequent election, telling the programme he has no regrets over his choice.
Mr Ross was additionally questioned on his stance on taxation, following feedback from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt that there’s “no shortcut to tax cuts”.
Senior Conservative Michael Gove and Liz Truss have backed pre-election tax cuts.
The Scottish chief stated: “I’d prefer to see tax cuts in Scotland so we get parity with the remainder of the UK.”
Mr Ross stated greater taxes in Scotland than the remainder of the UK was “one of many greatest obstacles” to funding within the nation.
However when challenged on the tax burden presently confronted by Britons, Mr Ross stated that was “the response” to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There needs to be some clawback of a number of the funds that had been spent throughout the Covid pandemic.
“Scotland is the best taxed a part of the UK and it’s solely going to worsen, as a result of Humza Yousaf has stated he needs to tax individuals extra throughout the cost-of-living disaster.”
Supply hyperlink
