BRIAN Whittle has withdrawn from the Scottish Tory leadership contest as he revealed who he now backs to succeed the outgoing Douglas Ross.
Whittle, who is a former Olympic sprinter, pulled out of the race on Tuesday citing that although he believes the party needs a new direction, he is disappointed to see inner party disagreements turn into personal affronts.
While announcing his intention to end his campaign as the next Scottish Tory leader, the MSP has now backed Murdo Fraser, stating that the party must offer Scottish voters “a credible centre-right alternative”.
Whittle (above) had leaned heavily on his sporting background when he announced he would be standing as a candidate in the leadership contest back in July as he said: “When we decide how we pick ourselves up and prepare for the next race”.
Now his race is seemingly run and there were no sporting nods in his withdrawal statement as he said: “I have decided to suspend my campaign and withdraw from consideration.
“Any leadership contest worthy of the name will inevitably involve disagreements among candidates and members. It’s unfortunate that some, both in the press and in the party, have seen natural disagreement as a personal affront.”
Whittle’s withdrawal from the leadership contest follows him signing a joint open letter with other candidates Liam Kerr, Jamie Greene and Fraser raising concerns about reports in the Telegraph that Ross had tried to quit as party leader in 2023 and install Russell Findlay, another candidate, as his replacement.
Allegations from within the party have previously said that an “establishment cabal” was trying to see Findlay coronated as the next Scottish Tory leader without a true contest.
In their statement, the four Scottish Conservative leadership candidates hinted at similar concerns.
Since then, Meghan Gallacher, who is another candidate in the race, has resigned as the deputy party leader as the Tory leadership contest has descended into chaos.
Ross has now said he “had it out” with other Scottish Tory MSPs over leaks to the media as infighting within his party has taken centre stage over the leadership campaigns.
Last week a close friend to Fraser, Tory MSP Stephen Kerr, called his leadership campaign “awful” after mistakenly posting public messages on WhatsApp believing they were private.
Responding to the endorsement, Fraser (above) wrote on Twitter/X: "I am sorry to see my great friend @BrianWhittle withdrawing from the @scottories leadership contest.
I am sorry to see my great friend @BrianWhittle withdrawing from the @scottories leadership contest. Brian brought forward some innovative ideas to the leadership debate on leadership and policy, and his contribution as a MSP is and continues to be significant. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ypPwjN4oyn
— Murdo Fraser (@murdo_fraser) August 20, 2024
"Brian brought forward some innovative ideas to the leadership debate on leadership and policy, and his contribution as a MSP is and continues to be significant.
"I am honoured and humbled by his kind words about me and his support.
"As the candidate with the broadest range of experience and history in the Party, he believes I am best placed to deliver real change and unite us going forward. I aim to live up to those expectations."
