Tories ‘plan tactical voting push in bid to lock out SNP’

Scots will ‘know how to vote to get rid of nationalist government’, says senior MSP – as deal with Scottish Labour floated

Newly-elected SNP leader and first minister of Scotland (PA)

The Conservatives are said to be ready to urge Scots to vote tactically in the next general election in a bid to lock out the SNP.

The Scottish Tories will reportedly invite unionist rivals to engage in a tactical voting campaign that will see Labour benefit in urban areas, while the Tories focus on rural parts of the country.

Douglas Ross’s party is set to invite rivals to co-operate in a “vote smart” strategy, with a source telling the Sunday Times there was “clearly an opportunity to end nationalist dominance at next year’s general election”.