General election not ‘lost’ despite by-election defeats – Scottish Tory chairman

Craig Hoy said the election will also be fought against a different background in Scotland.

Craig Hoy denied that the next election was ‘lost’ (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

The next election is not “lost” for the Conservatives, the chairman of the party in Scotland has said, despite losing two seats in England on Thursday.

Craig Hoy told the BBC on Friday that the general election – expected some time in 2024 – is not a “foregone conclusion”.

The Tories have been plunging in the polls in recent months but managed to retain the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat previously held by ex-prime minister Boris Johnson in Thursday’s votes, with the majority cut from more than 7,000 votes to less than 500.

Labour and the Lib Dems took the seats of Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and Frome respectively in the by-elections, both overturning 20,000-vote majorities.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, Mr Hoy said: “I don’t think the next election is lost.

“The Prime Minister set out key pledges and he’s delivering on them.”

The election will also be fought against a different background in Scotland, he said, where polls suggest the SNP’s previously firm grip may be slipping following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon along with her arrest and that of her husband Peter Murrell – the former party chief executive – and the then treasurer Colin Beattie.

All three were released without charge, pending further investigation.

“In one of the most recent by-elections in East Kilbride, for example, our vote was up, the SNP vote was down significantly,” he said.

The East Kilbride West council by-election, fought earlier this month, was won by Labour candidate Kirsty Williams, with the party’s vote increasing by 13.7%, while the Tories moved into second with a 6.3% jump in their share and the SNP lost the seat, along with 8.3% of its vote compared to last year.

“In the seats that we hold, or the seats that we’re targeting, it’ll be a straight choice between the Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate and the SNP, there’ll be a very different dynamic at the next general election in Scotland,” Mr Hoy added.

If the party is able to “get our message out there” and “fight a positive general election campaign” on local issues, Mr Hoy said “I don’t think we will see those kinds of results here in Scotland”.

Speaking to the same programme, Scottish Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said the by-elections were a “disappointing night” for both the Tories and Labour.

“The Conservatives have lost two seats in their heartlands area, the Labour Party were widely expected, widely tipped and accepted the fact they would probably take Boris Johnson’s seat but have missed out,” he said.

“The next GE is going to be about delivering change.

“We want to see the back of the Conservative government, but Keir Starmer over the last short while, has been making U-turn after U-turn, most noticeably recently on social security where he accepted to Tory policy of the brutal two child policy and rape clause, so we know now the only way of delivering real change at the next election is through the SNP and thereafter independence.”

While Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said the results showed the Tories were “certainly not performing at all”.

He added: “Of course, we’ve got lots more work to do.

“We recognise that the election might be still 18 months away, we’ve launched our five missions to try and transform the country, all of our policies will cascade from that and it’s a really exciting time.

“What we’ve got to do is put forward a policy proposal that people are excited about, and I think we’re making the bones of that now and more meat will be added as we go through the next few months.”