Voting Reform in tight races will only help the SNP, Douglas Ross says
Voting for Reform or other parties in key seats around Scotland will only help the SNP win more MPs, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said.
With a week to go until polling day, he sought to rally pro-Union voters to the Tories in the seats seen as battlegrounds between his and John Swinney’s parties.
Mr Ross, who is running in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency, said some of the races in these seats could come down to a few hundred votes.
At the 2019 election the Scottish Conservatives won six seats and this year they have been focusing their campaign on constituencies where there is a tight race between them and the SNP.
On Thursday, the Scottish Conservative leader visited the Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian.
He told the PA news agency: “What we’ve also seen in polls over the last few days is how close a number of these constituencies are going to be between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP.
“It could come down to a few hundred votes either way.
“If people are thinking about supporting smaller parties – like Labour, the Liberal Democrats or Reform – they risk electing an SNP politician.”
He said some Reform candidates had made “atrocious” remarks and others had admitted supporting Scottish independence.
Mr Ross continued: “Some people may be considering not voting at all, or voting Reform or for the other smaller parties in those constituencies.
“They need to know and understand the risk of doing that is electing a nationalist MP obsessed with independence.”
(PA Graphics)
Mr Ross also took part in his last First Minister’s Questions session at party leader on Thursday.
He has said he will stand down from the role following the General Election, after his decision to run for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East instead of David Duguid sparked unease among other Scottish Conservatives.
Mr Ross said: “My overarching thought is one of frustration.
“I have asked questions to Nicola Sturgeon, to Humza Yousaf, to John Swinney, and very rarely got any answers.”
On Wednesday, Reform UK chairman Richard Tice said Nigel Farage taking over as party leader and standing for election had put “turbo boosters” on its campaign.
During a visit to Grangemouth, he said he did “not know” if any of his candidates supported Scottish independence, although he said he would be “surprised” if they do.
Referring to his party’s candidates, Mr Tice said: “They’re all wonderful, some of them are a bit more bullish than others on some of the things they might do and say.”
He went on to say Reform UK’s “common sense” policies could see the party win more votes than the Conservatives across the UK.