Poll suggesting Reform breakthrough at Holyrood ‘deeply concerning’ – Findlay

Scottish Conservative leadership candidate Russell Findlay says a poll suggesting a Scottish Parliament breakthrough for Reform UK is “deeply concerning” for his party.

The Norstat poll for the Sunday Times put Nigel Farage’s party on eight MSPs, as well as Alex Salmond’s Alba Party on four seats.

It has the SNP on 41 seats, just ahead of Labour on 40, but with the pro-Union parties holding a Holyrood majority in such a scenario it would be unlikely to result in an SNP first minister.

Norstat polled 1,011 Scots aged 16 and over between August 20 and 22.

The poll also put the Greens on 10 MSPs, the Lib Dems on eight and the Conservatives on 18.

This would be a significant drop for the Tories from their current total of 31 MSPs, suggesting Reform’s gains would come at their expense.

Analysis by polling expert Prof Sir John Curtice said the voting system in Holyrood makes it much harder for Labour to replicate the sweeping gains they saw at the recent General Election.

He told the newspaper: “Fending off Labour’s challenge will require strong and effective leadership from the SNP.

“The challenge that still faces Swinney is whether he can make more of a success of his party’s leadership than when he first led the party in the early years of devolution.”

Mr Findlay discussed the poll as he appeared on the BBC’s Sunday Show radio programme, saying: “The poll today in the Sunday Times is deeply concerning.

“That’s why our party, the Scottish Conservatives, have to get their house in order.

“We have to unite, we have to come up with a range of credible policies which I’m attempting to do.”

He continued: “We cannot account for the promises and the conduct of others.

“We have to focus on persuading people that we are the right people to take on the cosy left-wing consensus at Holyrood.”

The three candidates vying for the Scottish Conservative leadership took part in their first hustings events at the weekend, with Mr Findlay up against fellow MSPs Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher.

At an event in Renfrew on Saturday, Mr Fraser said Reform poses a “real threat” to the Conservatives and argued against “embracing” its leader, Nigel Farage.

Reform took 7% of the vote in Scotland at the General Election despite almost no campaigning north of the border.