Exclusive:Nigel Farage's Reform UK accused of 'hiding away' from Scottish voters

Despite polls showing Reform could win up to a dozen seats at the crunch election, Mr Findlay told The Scotsman’s Steamie podcast that he is “not even thinking about Reform”, and is instead focusing on his party’s own messaging.

In response, Reform claimed the Scottish Tories were “petrified” of their surge into Scottish politics.

During the general election, Reform took so many votes off former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross that he missed out on a dramatic return to Westminster, with the SNP’s Seamus Logan winning the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency.

READ MORE: Scottish Tories told to brace for further defections to Nigel Farage's Reform UK

Asked by The Scotsman if Mr Findlay was concerned about the rise of Mr Farage’s party into Scotland, the Scottish Tories leader said: “I’m not even thinking about Reform.”

Mr Findlay added: “I’m not remotely bothered by what they do. They can continue hiding away or they can come out and start telling people what they actually believe.”

The Scottish Tory leader also claimed Mr Farage’s party was “being treated very differently to other political parties”.

He said: “They are being held to a different standard in that they can essentially get away with being all things to all men at any given time.

“I don’t know what Reform stands for. In the general election, they had prominent candidates and others who support breaking up the United Kingdom. Are they really a pro-Union party? I don’t know.

“They don’t have any form of leadership that we can see in Scotland. They don’t have any policies in Scotland.”

Mr Findlay insisted his focus was very much on the Scottish Conservatives, rather than being drawn on Reform or any other political party.

He said: “I completely and utterly understand why people feel so sickened by politics both at a UK level and indeed, the devolved parliament. I understand why people feel the none-of-the-above option is compelling.

“But I’m new in this job, I’m not a career politician. I’m a fresh face and I think that putting forward what we stand for is much more important than looking over my shoulder, whoever it might be.”

READ MORE: Why Scottish Tories cannot defeat Nigel Farage's Reform UK by copying their policies

Mr Findlay added: “I can’t account for what the SNP are going to do or not do - the same as Labour, the same as any other party. All we can do, all I can do as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives is bring forward our Conservative message to the public.

“My job is to unite our party, to energise our supporters and my colleagues and to take forward with great confidence our common sense Conservative vision for how Scotland can be run differently to how it has been.

“We’ve had 25-plus years of what I think is a failed left-wing ideology in the Scottish Parliament. We had Labour followed by the SNP. Other than the waving of Saltires, there’s no real difference between them often in respect of policies.”

A Reform UK Scotland Spokesman said: “The Tories are rightly petrified. Whilst they focus on their negative and deceptive campaign, Reform will continue to offer a brighter vision for Scotland.

“The Tories failed Scotland for 14 years from Westminster. Scotland needs Reform.”