Russell Findlay elected new Scottish Conservative leader

Former journalist, Russell Findlay elected new leader of Scottish Tories.

The contest, announced in Edinburgh, was between Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher.

The winner takes over from Douglas Ross after a leadership contest that began in early June.

The starting gun informally fired when Ross announced his plans to stand down during the UK general election campaign.

Six MSPs began the race, before Brian Whittle, Jamie Greene and Liam Kerr pulled out and went on to back Murdo Fraser.

Politicians rarely get handed the reins of a party when things are looking rosy, but the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives really has their work cut out.

For starters, this contest has been – to put it mildly – ill-tempered.

Privately, it’s not difficult to get Scottish Conservative politicians to tell you why they believe one candidate or another would be a disaster for the party.

For many in the Scottish Conservatives the end of this contest can’t come soon enough.