Exclusive:The Ruth Davidson secret to reviving the Scottish Conservatives, as Reform threatens

Murdo Fraser MSP says the party needs to learn from his former rival Ruth Davidson to win back voters

The Scottish Conservatives are looking to adopt the politics of Ruth Davidson rather than leaning into Reform to win back voters.

Murdo Fraser MSP says there is an opportunity for the party to win back unionist voters who abandoned them for Labour at last year’s general election.

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Mr Fraser, who stood against both Ms Davidson and current party leader Russell Findlay, says this is what the party will be focusing on rather than trying to claw back those on the right who left the party in favour of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Murdo Fraser MSP.Murdo Fraser MSP.
Murdo Fraser MSP. | Lisa Ferguson/National World

Writing for The Scotsman, Mr Fraser praised his former rival Ms Davidson for being able to “assemble a voter coalition” of voters who were concerned about the prospect of a second independence referendum, saying many of those she brought on side had never voted Conservative before.

He said the party will now focus on trying to win these voters back.

Mr Fraser said: “That will not be done if our focus is leaning into the Reform agenda, with its simplistic, populist positions on issues such as immigration.

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“What we have instead is a vision of a dynamic, pro-growth Scotland, which through an expanding economy raises the tax revenues we need to deliver quality public services - the very services which people presently see as crumbling before their eyes, despite record levels of inputs.

“It is by having a distinctive, moderate, centre-right agenda that the Scottish Conservatives will progress, and it is on developing that that I and my Scottish Conservative MSP colleagues will be devoting our energies in the coming months.”

Mr Fraser conceded Reform is currently benefitting from Conservative voters who are “scunnered with the state of politics” and are still unsure about the new UK party leader Kemi Badenoch, and said there is no “inevitability” of the Reform bubble bursting.

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

He added: “We have seen across the world a rise in political populism, driven by a frustration many voters have with a political system which they feel is increasingly disconnected from their concerns.”

The latest polling suggests the Conservatives will win 16 seats at the 2026 Holyrood election, down from the 31 they currently hold.

However this polling puts Reform UK not far behind on 13 seats, suggesting Reform is not a problem the Conservatives can ignore.

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