Findlay: Tories will save £650m – and use the cash to cut taxes for Scots
He will insist there is a need to 'urgently streamline bloated government' at Holyrood.
The party leader will outline plans for a Taxpayer Savings Act, promising this will save £650 million by 'cutting red tape, getting a grip on spending, and harnessing business expertise'.
Mr Findlay will also tell the Scottish Conservative Party conference in Edinburgh about plans to establish a Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency.
This would be run by business leaders, he will tell the conference, who would then be 'tasked with wielding a claymore on waste'.
The Scottish Tory leader has already accused First Minister John Swinney and his Government of wasting money 'on an industrial scale'.
In his keynote speech to the conference – his first since becoming leader north of the border last year – he will say that 'putting a stop to wasteful spending is top of our agenda'.
Mr Findlay will tell party supporters: 'We need to urgently streamline bloated government.
'Improving services means treating people's money with respect.'
He will say £650 million that could be saved as a result of a Taxpayer Savings Act would be used 'to bring down people's taxes', adding: 'By doing that, we would start to restore trust.'
Great to be at Murrayfield stadium for Scottish Tory conference. 🏴🇬🇧
Not been so much excitement since Taylor Swift was here 🤩#SCC25 pic.twitter.com/AWiTYk9CJB
— Russell Findlay MSP (@RussellFindlay1) June 13, 2025
Mr Findlay will also promise the Tories would 'shut down quangos that don't deliver value' and 'tackle the SNP's culture of cronyism through strict new rules on public appointments'.
He will pledge a future Conservative government at Holyrood would seek to reduce both the number of ministers and special advisers.
He is then expected to say: 'We would introduce a Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency, run by business leaders. People in the real world who know how to get things done.
'They would be tasked with wielding a claymore on waste.'
Another proposal will be for an Accountability and Transparency Index, with Mr Findlay saying this would 'shine a light on every organisation that receives public money, and would begin to dismantle the SNP's toxic era of secrecy'.
Scottish public finance minister Ivan McKee said: 'The Scottish Government is making real progress in reforming the public sector: the number of Scottish public bodies under Government control has shrunk from 199 in 2007 to 131.
'However, we know there is more to do, which is why I will soon unveil our public service reform strategy.
'Unfortunately, this work has been made more difficult by the UK Government's decision to pursue Brexit, which in 2023 alone led to an estimated cut in public revenues of about £2.3 billion.
'Most Scottish taxpayers already pay less income tax than they would elsewhere in the UK.'
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Glasgow Times
7 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay aims to get party ‘back on the pitch'
Mr Findlay said some wanted to 'write off' the Tories, but he believed they could win seats from the SNP in the 2026 vote, holding out the potential of even ousting First Minister John Swinney from his Perthshire constituency. While polls have pointed to Nigel Farage's Reform party – which has no seats at Holyrood at present – overtaking the Tories, Mr Findlay made clear he was 'not prepared to accept doom and gloom'. He promised his party would offer voters a 'a common-sense vision for Scotland's future'. He set out plans to save £650 million by 'cutting red tape, getting a grip on spending and harnessing business expertise', with the cash to be used to cut taxes for Scots. He also vowed the Tories would 'scrap' Scotland's 'unaffordable and unachievable' target of reaching net zero by 2045. Civil service numbers would be slashed by over 11,000, with the Conservative leader promising his party would seek to reduce numbers to the level they were at a decade ago. And Mr Findlay added he would boost doctor numbers by setting a target to have more Scottish medical students, and tackle classroom violence and improve education with a 'firmer approach' to school discipline. In his first major conference speech since becoming Scottish Tory leader last year, Mr Findlay said: 'We will aim to take on and defeat the SNP in more constituencies. 'Not just hold on to what we have but win more.' 🗣️ @RussellFindlay1: "We will aim to take on and defeat the SNP in more constituencies. "Not just hold onto what we have but win more."#SCC25 — Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) June 14, 2025 He added: 'Pundits want to write off our party. 'But I'm an optimist. I'm not prepared to accept doom and gloom. 'Where we are today is not necessarily where we will be tomorrow. 'By working hard, sticking to our values, and holding our nerve, we can and will turn things around.' The Tories returned 31 MSPs at Holyrood in the last Scottish elections in 2021, and Mr Findlay said the target of winning more is 'optimistic' but 'also realistic if you speak to people'. John Swinney (Liam McBurney/PA) He even set his sights on winning the Perthshire North seat of Mr Swinney, saying that while the SNP 'will do everything to protect' its leader there, seats like that 'can be in play for us'. Speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference in Edinburgh, Mr Findlay said: 'Wouldn't that be some prize? Swinney paying the price for his abysmal record.' He claimed that Mr Swinney was 'an Amstrad politician in the Apple age', adding the First Minister would 'impoverish Scotland in pursuit of his perverse lifelong desire to destroy the UK'. Mr Findlay said: 'People like him are why voters have lost trust in politics.' Next May's election should be a 'referendum on the SNP's record', Mr Findlay said, adding there is a 'binary choice between the change that Scotland so urgently needs or more of the same from John Swinney'. The Scottish Conservative leader told his party: 'I guarantee that we will stand on a manifesto with funded tax cuts.' 🗣️ @RussellFindlay1: "Let's make the Holyrood election a referendum on the SNP's record. "A binary choice between the change that Scotland so urgently needs or more of the same from John Swinney."#SCC25 — Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) June 14, 2025 His pledge to save £650 million would be achieved with a Taxpayer Savings Act, and he said the Tories would also 'shut down quangos that don't deliver value' and reverse the £20,000 a year pay rise for Scottish ministers delivered by Mr Swinney'. Civil service jobs would be reduced to the level of 10 years ago, taking the total from 28,800 to 17,400, the level they were at in the first quarter of 2015, and there would be 'much stricter rules on pay rises' for public sector workers. In a move similar to US President Donald Trump's creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Mr Findlay promised to bring in a Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency (Save) to be run by business leaders 'tasked with wielding a claymore on waste'. On energy, the Scottish Tory leader said the party would 'scrap the SNP's 2045 net zero target', insisting it is 'unaffordable and unachievable'. He told party supporters: 'Instead of spending this money on SNP eco projects, we would use it to protect oil and gas workers' livelihoods.' 🗣️ @RussellFindlay1: "Today I can announce that we would introduce a Taxpayer Savings Act to get the books in order and deliver better value. "This proposal would save £650 million by cutting red tape, getting a grip on spending, and harnessing business expertise."#SCC25 — Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) June 14, 2025 He said the Tories would 'would take £100 off every household energy bill in Scotland from the proceeds of leasing our waters to wind farms', and would give residents new legal powers to oppose 'mega-pylons'. On education, he also promised 'less bureaucracy' and said teachers should be free to 'instil discipline… because violence in schools has reached truly horrific levels'. 'We must now take a firmer approach. Exclusions are not cruel, but sometimes necessary.' To tackle problems in the NHS he said 'the way to deliver more doctors is simple common sense', claiming what is needed is 'more Scottish students training to join Scotland's NHS'. Arguing Scottish medical students are more likely to work in Scotland after finishing their training than their overseas counterparts, Mr Findlay said the Tories would set a new target for the number of Scottish medical students at Scottish universities.
The Herald Scotland
11 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
‘SNP gravy train' must end, says Findlay in Holyrood pitch
'Wouldn't that be some prize?" he asked delegates gathered in a Murrayfield function room. "Swinney paying the price for his abysmal record.' 'We will aim to take on and defeat the SNP in more constituencies. Not just hold on to what we have but win more," he said. 'Yes, this is optimistic if you look at the opinion polls, but it is also realistic," he added. "If you speak to people, we can return constituency MSPs in each of the seats we won last time.' Polling expert Mark Diffley told The Herald on Sunday he believed it was realistic to suggest the Tories could retain their constituencies, but they would likely struggle to keep their list MSPs. 'It is true that, despite their vote share in both parts of the ballot having halved since 2021, they have a better chance in the constituencies than on the regional list. This is largely because in the seats they hold, the SNP is second — and their vote share has also dropped significantly. 'The regional list is a different story, with Reform doing well and significantly eating into Tory representation. On average, current polling suggests the Conservatives will keep their five constituency seats but lose around 15 list seats — leaving them with around 15 MSPs, down from 31.' Asked whether he was trying to present a setback as a success, Mr Findlay told journalists: 'This is an interesting interpretation — and lots of these pointy‑headed pollsters have been proven wrong in the past. 'I mean, nobody saw some of the most recent results. Everyone called that wrong. That is why I am absolutely optimistic and confident.' Elsewhere in his speech, the party chief outlined new policies in what he called a 'blueprint for a common‑sense future for Scotland.' He said the Tories would scrap the SNP's 'unaffordable and unachievable' 2045 net zero target, replacing it with an 'Affordable Transition Fund' — using proceeds from leasing offshore wind to cut £100 from every household energy bill. He also pledged a Taxpayer Savings Act 'to get the books in order and deliver better value,' claiming a Scottish Conservative government would find £650 million worth of savings by reversing SNP ministers' £20,000 pay rise, cutting quangos, and reducing the number of special advisers and ministers. Civil service staff would be reduced to 2015 levels — from 28,800 to 17,400 — and stricter rules on public sector pay rises enforced. 'The size of the SNP state is absurd,' Mr Findlay said. 'There are more of the most senior grade of executives in public sector Scotland than there are paramedics. I know which ones we need more of. 'The only get‑rich‑quick scheme in Scotland is snaring a first‑class ticket on the SNP gravy train — or maybe it is a camper van.' He accused the SNP of building an 'obedient client state,' adding: 'But where is the benefit to workers and businesses who fund this through their sky‑high taxes? 'We would review every one of these public sector jobs while enforcing much stricter rules on pay rises.' Proposals to strengthen transparency included a new Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency — 'run by business leaders' — and an 'Accountability and Transparency Index' to scrutinise organisations receiving public money. Mr Findlay also attacked both the SNP and Labour, describing Mr Swinney as 'an Amstrad politician in the Apple age' and said Sir Keir Starmer was 'wrecking Britain.' He described the 2026 election as 'a referendum on the SNP's record' — 'a binary choice between the change that Scotland so urgently needs or more of the same from John Swinney.' Mr Findlay added: 'If John was honest, he would acknowledge that Nicola Sturgeon is still in the driver's seat. 'Frankly, it will not be John Swinney winning another term — it will be the Nicola Sturgeon era all over again. 'By the election next year, her book will have been published. Its title is Frankly. 'Chapter One — Frankly I had no idea about Peter Murrell. Chapter Two — Frankly I had no idea about the campervan. Chapter Three — Frankly I do not know what a woman is. 'If this tome is an account of Nicola's achievements, then it will be a very slim volume. Perhaps it will sit on the shelves next to the books I have written — which can be found in the true crime section.' He made a direct appeal to disillusioned voters, admitting the Tories had lost trust in recent years: 'We lost our way. In government, taxes rose too high, immigration was not brought under control and we stopped focusing on improving people's lives. 'I know next year will be difficult. We have a mammoth task to win back public trust. Even earning the right to be heard will take a huge and collective commitment. It will not happen overnight. 'But we must have confidence in the enduring appeal of our core values — the strength of what we stand for.' Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said 'Russell Findlay's increasingly desperate attempts to stay relevant are becoming hard to watch. 'No one will forget the damage the Tories have done to our country - inflicting 14 years of chaos on us in government and providing the SNP with cover for their failures in Scotland. 'The Tories' hopes of unseating John Swinney next year are comically optimistic - but we can remove John Swinney as First Minister by electing a Scottish Labour government.'
Evening Standard
16 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Russell Findlay distances himself from Kemi Badenoch defector comments
Speaking to the PA news agency on Saturday, after his own inaugural address to the Scottish party conference, Mr Findlay said: 'I'm always disappointed when I see anyone choosing to the leave the party for whatever reason.
