Reform's Kerr warns Tory MSPs: ‘Door is closing very soon'
Scottish Tory members are due to gather in Edinburgh next weekend for their annual conference, with under-pressure party leader Kemi Badenoch addressing delegates on the Friday morning.
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In her message to activists in the conference handbook, the opposition leader said she and Mr Findlay had been 'elected in the aftermath of the worst defeat in our party's history, so we knew the scale of the challenge facing us from day one.'
That challenge was laid bare last week in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, where Reform UK candidate Ross Lambie came within 1,471 votes of taking the seat, winning 26% of the vote.
The Conservatives trailed in a distant fourth, polling just 6%—a sharp drop from the 17.5% they secured in 2021.
Russell Findlay and Kemi Badenoch during her last visit to Scotland (Image: PA) Cllr Kerr, who quit the Tories last year, said his former party were in the 'last chance saloon'.
'I have got a lot of time for a lot of my former colleagues in the party, but at the same time, they got what they deserved last week.
'The reason I left was that they were abandoning the Central Belt, and their attitude was that we are going to focus on our key areas and just ignore the rest of Scotland — and that has now come home to roost.
'They can now become a fringe party of the Borders as much as they like, but the vast majority of the public live in the Central Belt, up the northeast and around Scotland — which they have totally abandoned.
'So it is a dire place for the Scottish Conservatives to be. I honestly think that they are now in the last chance saloon. I think that their support is going to keep going out the window.'
'And my message to former colleagues is, you are more than welcome to come and join us, but the door is closing very, very soon, because we are not just becoming the rejects party,' he added.
'We want to have good quality candidates. Some of the people who are going to be standing — I can tell you now — you will be surprised by some of the people who will be put forward as Reform candidates. And these are good quality people from the third sector, from business, lawyers, academics.
'We do not want to have MSPs who have been in Holyrood for 10 years and not really achieved anything jumping onto the bandwagon. That is not the case. We want to really change Scottish politics fundamentally.
'People are more than welcome to come join us. But it is not a reject party. We are not just taking every single person that decides 'actually, my career is finished with the Tories'.'
Over the weekend, Central Scotland Tory MSP Graham Simpson once again denied that he was considering jumping ship.
Martyn Greene, Reform UK's Scottish organiser, told the Sunday Mail that he had met several Tory MSPs interested in joining the party — including Mr Simpson.
Mr Greene described Mr Simpson as a "nice fellow". He added: "I may have had a cup of coffee with him once or twice. Quite recently."
Asked about the discussion, Mr Simpson said: "I have not had coffee with Martyn Greene. I have not met Mr Greene."
When asked if he was planning to defect, the MSP told the paper: "No."
Reform came in for fierce criticism during the campaign for a social media advert widely condemned as both racist and misleading.
The advert — posted on Facebook and Instagram earlier this month — used edited footage from a 2022 speech by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who had called for greater South Asian representation in politics.
Reform's version added captions suggesting Mr Sarwar had pledged to 'prioritise' the Pakistani community — a phrase he did not use.
Reports in The Sunday Times suggest there was disquiet in the Scottish party over the video, with figures north of the Border believing it cost them votes.
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Polling expert Mark Diffley said the Hamilton result and wider polling indicated Reform were likely to gain a significant foothold at Holyrood.
'The current polling suggests they are at 18%. The unknown is where the ceiling is,' he told The Herald.
'Even at 26% you would be lucky to win any constituencies, but you will get lots of representation on the regional list. Even at 19% you will get lots of representation on the list as well. So in a sense, what we are looking at is double figures — somewhere between 10 and 20 Reform MSPs.'
The Scottish Conservatives have admitted they need to regain voter trust following decisions the UK party made when in power.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton MSP said: 'We know that voters are still judging us for our record in government at UK level. We get it, we understand our party let people down.
'That's why we're doing things differently. Our party is under new leadership, and we're determined to reconnect with our values, earn back public trust and once again represent every in Scotland who wants some common sense for a change.
'A vote for Reform only helps the SNP, which is why John Swinney talked them up at every opportunity during the campaign.
'Nigel Farage says he's not worried about Swinney winning next year and Reform have repeatedly fielded pro-independence candidates.
'Farage's reckless plans to end the Union Dividend would instantly make Scots poorer.'
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