Brian Whittle joins race to become Scottish Conservative leader

While the leadership race plays out, another senior MSP has called for a commission to be established to look at the relationship between the Scottish Tories and the UK party.

Murdo Fraser – who is not yet in the running but proposed splitting the parties during a bid at the top job more than a decade ago – wrote in the Daily Telegraph that a “senior independent party figure” should be appointed to lead the probe, reporting after the 2026 Holyrood election.

But the position was almost immediately countered by Mr Findlay, who said in a statement that splitting away from the UK party must be “off the table”.

Last week Mr Findlay, a former crime journalist, became the first Scottish Conservative to formally announce his intention to run for leader.

He was later warned by Police Scotland of a threat to his life by a “known criminal”.

He said the threat is believed to be linked to the case of William Burns, a hitman who attacked Mr Findlay with acid at his home in 2015.

He said he was “not going to let gangland threats” stop him from running for the role.

The party is currently consulting with members on the form the leadership race should take.