THE Scottish Conservatives have suffered from a “cult of supreme leader politics,” according to one of their MSPs.
Stephen Kerr said the problem had existed for “many years” and claimed even senior politicians within the group were kept in the dark about decisions.
The Tory backbencher, who unsuccessfully ran for Westminster in the General Election earlier this month, said the party’s leadership contest was a chance to “fix our party”.
Kerr has not endorsed anyone for the top job, which has so far seen just one candidate, Russell Findlay (below), officially announce they are running.
But in a piece for The Telegraph on Friday, he said whoever took on the job must revamp the party.
He said: “We have a culture problem. Too much power in too few hands, too many feeling they are outside the tent and their voices aren’t being heard.
“No party should ever be a personality cult.”
Kerr claimed many voters “missed” former leader Ruth Davidson, now a member of the House of Lords, but said she was a “one-off”.
He added: “For too long there’s been too much power vested in the party leader and those around the party leader. The leadership has been too exclusive and top-down.
“Decisions were too often made and delivered remotely. Even senior people would sometimes learn about them for the first time on social media and then be left to defend and explain things that they had no part in shaping.”
He said that there was more to leadership than “a starring role at First Minister’s Questions” and added that “talent” within the party “must be nurtured and developed”.
Kerr said: “The Scottish Conservative Party is at a turning point. The cult of supreme leader politics that we have lived with for many years now is not a positive culture to have within a broad political party. If it continues, the party will disappear.”
Others who could throw their hats into the ring include Douglas Ross's deputy Meghan Gallacher (above), party chair Craig Hoy, Jamie Greene, Murdo Fraser, Liam Kerr and Graham Simpson.
Findlay, the only official candidate as yet, has also called for the party to be revitalised and said it must offer more to voters than just opposition to independence.
The race to replace Ross comes at the same time as Tories south of the Border fight over who should take over from former prime minister Rishi Sunak after the party's historic election defeat earlier this month.
