Exclusive:Murdo Fraser: John Swinney's language puts target on opponents' backs

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser criticised the First Minister and called on politicians to "do better" in the wake of the murder of Charlie Kirk in the US.

The right-wing activist and Donald Trump ally was shot in the neck at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. His alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested last week.

Writing in The Scotsman, Mr Fraser referenced a recent Tory debate in Holyrood about the impact on councils of accommodating asylum seekers, which was brought forward by Craig Hoy, a South Scotland MSP.

"As [Mr Hoy] pointed out in his remarks, there are now more than 6,000 asylum seekers in Scotland, with Glasgow alone housing nearly 4,000, at a considerable cost to the taxpayer,” Mr Fraser said.

"This provoked a rare intervention in an opposition debate from the First Minister John Swinney, who described Mr Hoy as 'disgusting'.

“This was clearly not an off-the-cuff remark, as earlier in comments to the media the First Minister had gone further, describing Mr Hoy’s motion as ‘despicable’.

"No reasonable person listening to the manner in which my Conservative colleague presented his arguments last week could have reached the conclusion that Swinney’s choice of words was appropriate."

He said the choice of words “was evidently not accidental”, adding: “It was intended to convey the sense that my colleague’s remarks were beyond the pale, and that he should be ashamed of raising these matters in the Scottish Parliament.

“We might well ask what is the point of having Holyrood at all, if MSPs cannot bring to the chamber the very real concerns that their constituents have.

“But the tactic of ‘othering’ political opponents is one which all those of us who lived through and campaigned in the 2014 independence referendum will be very familiar with.

“If I had a pound every time I was called a ‘traitor’ or ‘Quisling’, in the run up to the referendum and in the period since, I would long ago have been able to afford to retire to the sun. It is a lazy method of debate, refusing to engage with the substance of the issues being raised, and instead demonise and delegitimise the individual making the arguments.

“And we see, just last week, where such an approach leads. I had very little knowledge of who Charlie Kirk was before his brutal murder in Utah, but my teenage children are very familiar with him from social media.”

The Tory MSP concluded: “Describing opponents as ‘despicable’ doesn’t just lower the tone of debate, it potentially puts targets on their backs. For the sake of Charlie Kirk’s widow and children, we all need to do better.”

An SNP spokesperson said: “The Tories use of divisive and dangerous language, particularly around immigration, continues to be deeply worrying.

"But given Mr Fraser’s use of the same language he is condemning others for using, we assume he will be apologising for his rank hypocrisy.”

The party pointed to a tweet by Mr Fraser in May last year, in which he called the SNP “a foul, despicable, corrupt bunch” after they voted against sanctioning Michael Matheson following the iPad scandal.

The Scottish Government declined to comment.