Kemi Badenoch: Scots Tories are the ONLY common sense party at Holyrood
Kemi Badenoch has declared the Scottish Conservatives the only "common sense" party at Holyrood at a Conservative Party conference event in Birmingham, whilst condemning Reform UK and its Scottish leader Lord Malcolm Offord. The UK Conservative leader praised the party's recent Aberdeen South by-election victory as evidence the Conservatives are "coming back", contradicting concerns that the party cannot win in Scotland. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay also defended his party's position, calling Reform's parliamentary performance "amateurish" and asserting that his party remains the effective opposition to John Swinney's SNP despite its smaller numbers.
The comments follow the Conservatives' difficult May election result, when Reform UK achieved 17 Scottish MSPs compared to 12 for the Tories. Badenoch highlighted that Douglas Lumsden's win in Aberdeen South with nearly 50 per cent of the vote vindicated the party's decision to refuse electoral deals with Reform and stand independently. Findlay, marking just over two years as Scottish Conservative leader, acknowledged the challenging campaign but said there are now "really encouraging signs of recovery", with both leaders expressing confidence in their ability to challenge the Government effectively.
- Badenoch calls Scottish Conservatives the only common sense party at Holyrood.
- Aberdeen South by-election win shows Conservative recovery after difficult May election.
- Reform UK criticised for amateurish performance despite winning more MSPs.
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Scotland's parliament, Holyrood, is controlled by the Scottish National Party, which pursues independence from the UK. Two opposition parties, the Scottish Conservatives and Reform UK, compete to be the strongest challenge to SNP government.
In May's election, Reform won more Scottish parliament seats than the Conservatives. Yet the Tories have since won a notable by-election in Aberdeen and refused electoral deals with Reform, differentiating themselves as a distinct opposition force.
How voters split their opposition support between the Conservatives and Reform UK affects Scottish politics. It determines which party can most effectively hold the Scottish government to account and influence the country's direction. The two parties are now competing to convince voters they deserve the opposition leadership role.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Scottish Conservatives' case for independence rests on the principle that standing alone maintains party integrity and clear identity, appealing to voters who want principled governance rather than tactical alliances. The Aberdeen South victory with nearly 50 per cent of the vote demonstrates they can win when presenting a focused alternative, and avoiding coalition baggage may prove more effective at attracting centre-right voters than diluting their message through agreements with other parties.
The case against
Critics reasonably contend that Reform UK's superior showing (17 MSPs versus 12 for the Conservatives) reflects genuine voter preference, and that refusing to coordinate across the centre-right fragments opposition to the SNP at a time when unified strength would be strategically more effective. A single by-election success, whilst encouraging, does not yet prove substantial recovery at scale, and this approach risks sacrificing long-term influence for the sake of maintaining separate party structures.