Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has vowed to “give absolutely everything” to prevent John Swinney and the SNP from winning a majority in next month’s Holyrood election – with the Conservative warning this could lead to the “living nightmare” of a second vote on the future of the UK.
Mr Findlay said the thought of having a second “divisive and distracting referendum” is “not just concerning to me, but terrifying”.
He spoke about the “living nightmare” he said could ensue if the SNP wins a majority of seats at Holyrood on May 7 – with the First Minister having already promised to use such a vote to try to force a second independence ballot.
Speaking as he launched the Scottish Conservative election manifesto in Edinburgh, Mr Findlay said: “We cannot allow John Swinney to plunge the next parliament into constitutional chaos.
“If we prevent an SNP majority, we can stop John Swinney from pushing ahead with his plans for a referendum.”
He said he is “going to give absolutely everything I’ve got to stop the SNP on May 7”, adding Scotland “desperately needs to break the SNP’s toxic spell”.
On the Tory policies, he said he is offering the “most comprehensive manifesto our party has ever produced for a Holyrood election”.
He quipped it was the “most exciting launch since Artemis II blasted off into the clear blue sky”.
The Tories are promising to cut household bills by up to £2,500 – with Mr Findlay unveiling a £500 tax break for pensioners.
He said the Tories would introduce an income tax relief scheme which would then allow pensioners to claim back the first £500 they pay in tax on their pension income.
“We can afford to do this because we will end the SNP’s obscene waste of taxpayers’ money,” Mr Findlay said.
“For pensioners who have worked hard and deserve to enjoy retirement, this is no more than they deserve.”
The party pledged to spend £369 million on cutting income tax in 2027-28 – with the cost of tax cuts to rise to £1.37 billion the following year and then reaching almost £2.8 billion by 2031-32.
By that point the Tories say they could be saving almost £2 billion a year by introducing new restrictions on adult mental health benefit claims.
The Conservatives also plan to save cash by introducing a two-child limit for the Scottish child payment – a weekly payment made to low-income families – by cutting foreign aid spending, ending free bus passes for asylum seekers, and closing the UK’s only safe drugs consumption room in Glasgow.
The manifesto also sees the Tories pledge to raise standards in schools, to ensure people can get GP appointments faster, to fix the roads, and put more police on the streets.
Mr Findlay insisted: “This manifesto goes much deeper than these key pledges or election slogans.
“It offers a vision for a better Scotland.”
He said his party is looking to “get Scotland working after almost two dismal decades of SNP incompetence, failure and scandal”.
He added: “Our manifesto shows there can be a different way. A brighter, more prosperous way for everyone.”
CBI Scotland director Michelle Ferguson said that “businesses will be encouraged by proposals to close Scotland’s income tax gap with the rest of the UK”.
She added: “That would help Scottish firms compete for highly skilled employees and reduce the risk of pushing even more talent south.
“It would also help employees by allowing them to keep more of their pay in their pockets.”
Meanwhile David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said plans to cut business rates “should aid our high streets”.
However he added that “whether the plan is as ambitious and as competitive as has been introduced in England remains to be seen”.
But former Tory MSP Jamie Greene – who defected to join the Scottish Liberal Democrats – said his former party “are simply too chaotic and irrelevant to effectively hold John Swinney and the SNP to account for their dismal record on education, the economy, transport, and health”.
The Lib Dem stated: “The Scottish Tories are as unrecognisable to me as they are to many voters.
“They’ve jettisoned all the sensible and practical ideas and policies they once held under Ruth Davidson’s leadership in favour of chasing the same nasty ground as Nigel Farage.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This manifesto is not worth the paper it is written on.
“The Scottish Tories are completely irrelevant, and their ambitions only stretch to attempting to deny the SNP a majority.
“While Russell Findlay carps from the sidelines and make promises he knows won’t ever be delivered, Scottish Labour will bring forward a manifesto with the intention of delivering in government.”
