Tories believe they can win Angus Robertson's seat after beating SNP in local election
Polls and local results suggest a resurgence in Scottish Conservatism could see several high profile scalps, including the SNP's Westminster leader
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Your support makes all the difference.The Conservatives are hoping they might be able to defeat the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) Westminster leader Angus Robertson after winning the most votes in the local council elections in his constituency of Moray.
The Tories gained 36.1 per cent of the vote, up from 31.1 per cent in 2015, while the SNP saw their share fall sharply from 49.5 per cent to 31.6 per cent.
As a result, the Tories increased their number of councillors in Moray from three to eight, while the SNP dropped from 11 to 9.
If replicated at the general election on 8 June, this swing would see Mr Robertson lose his seat to the Tories, providing what Scottish Conservatives’ leader Ruth Davidson has said will be “a real Ed Balls moment” in reference to the former Labour Chancellor, who was spectacularly unseated in 2015 from his Morley and Outwood seat.
MSP Douglas Ross is the Tory candidate in Moray, and Ms Davidson said there is “a real titanic battle” between him and Mr Robertson for the seat.
Tony Blair’s landslide victory 20 years ago all but wiped out Scottish Conservatism, with the party failing to win a Westminster seat in 1997 and never holding more than a single constituency since.
Two years ago, the party won just 14 per cent of the vote north of the border, but the Scots’ Tories have seen a resurgence under the leadership of Ms Davidson, whose personal profile as a working class, lesbian woman and former BBC journalist is seen as appealing to those who would not typically vote Conservative.
Ms Davidson has described Moray as “very pro-Union” and emphasised the fact it is one of the few pro-Brexit parts of Scotland, placing many constituents at odds with Mr Robertson who she accused of “hi-jacking” the EU referendum result as proxy support for independence.
Mr Robertson appeared to be focusing on the positives when he took to Twitter following the declarations in Moray.
He said: “Congratulations to all of @SNP councillors elected in Moray, the largest group on @The MorayCouncil #Council17.
The seat has been held by the SNP since 1987 and by Mr Robertson since 2001. The only Tory win there came in 1983 when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.
A recent poll identified Mr Robertson as a potential casualty of the general election, as the Conservatives target traditional Labour heartlands throughout the UK and SNP strongholds north of the border.
And a Panelbase poll of voting intentions put the Tories on 33 per cent in Scotland, still eleven points behind the SNP but 20 points ahead of Labour, suggesting the party could take as many as 11 seats from the nationalists.
The local election results saw the SNP lose just seven seats, while the Tories gained 164, mainly at the expense of Labour who lost 133.
Moray’s MSP Richard Lochhead hit back at comments from Ruth Davidson, saying they demonstrated a “special kind of arrogance” from the Tories.
He added: “Feedback on the doorsteps shows it is clearly backfiring as voters tell us they are determined to reject the Tories and elect Angus Robertson, who has a track record for championing Moray.
“No wonder they are setting their sights on Angus Robertson – with his effective questioning at PMQs tying Theresa May in knots each week, he’s the biggest thorn in the Tories’ side.”
Based on the results declared so far in the local elections, Theresa May is expected to win a majority of 48 following the general election.
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