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”.

Senior Tories have not sought to knock down the report – with senior MSP Stephen Kerr saying: “I think it would be wrong to underestimate the sophistication of the Scottish electorate. I think they know exactly what they want, they know exactly how to vote.”

But any formal or even informal tactical voting pact would need to be agreed with Labour to avoid the Tories ceding seats in Scotland and getting nothing in return.

And such an arrangement would put Rishi Sunak under pressure among Tory MPs south of the border, as they face an uphill struggle to hold off Keir Starmer’s Labour party at the election expected in 2024.

Mr Kerr rejected claims his party is trying to “manipulate” the vote, but added: “What I think we will find is that people can see ... this is a continuity SNP government with a continuity first minister and it just won’t cut it.”

“What this is about is the priorities of the people of Scotland, the people of Scotland have their priorities, the Conservative Party is committed to delivering those priorities. When it comes to voting, I think they’ll know how to vote to get rid of this nationalist government.”

Mr Kerr said he is unaware if any discussions have taken place with Anas Sarwar’s Scottish Labour party, adding that the Tories will “always put the country first”.

Asked what Mr Sunak thinks of the plan, Mr Kerr admitted he is unsure if the prime minister is aware of it, but he said the Tory leader is “committed to the idea that we put our country first”.

Polling guru Prof John Curtice said the latest Panelbase poll putting the SNP on 39 per cent - a four-point slump – suggests that Humza Yousaf’s party would return only 34 MPs, a loss of 14 seats.

With the spectre of a by-election in Hamilton West and Rutherglen as former SNP-turned-independent MP Margaret Ferrier potentially faces a recall petition, Mr Kerr said he has not been involved in discussions around the strategy for such urban “central belt” seats.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (PA Wire)

Asked about the reports, a spokeswoman for the party said: “We will always urge voters to back the Scottish Conservatives in each and every election. However, the electorate is sophisticated and aware of the dynamics in individual constituencies.

She added: “In a host of seats, particularly in rural areas, the Scottish Conservatives are the only party who can defeat the SNP and we are confident that voters, for whom the union is the priority, understand that.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said the reports represent the “dreadful Better Together band announcing their reunion” – referring to the pro-union campaign in the lead up to the 2014 independence referendum.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (PA Wire)

“The disastrous duo have been standing shoulder-to-shoulder in councils and in Holyrood ever since but, be in no doubt, people will not be fooled by this latest effort,” he said.

Mr Flynn added: “Quite frankly, it’s a struggle to spot the difference between the Tories and Labour – the pro-Brexit, pro-cuts, anti-Scottish democracy Labour Party is a pale imitation of the right-wing Tories.”

It come as a man was charged after police were called to a report of someone acting “suspiciously” near the official residence of Scotland’s first minister, Mr Yousaf.

Police Scotland said it was called to the Charlotte Square area of Edinburgh, where Bute House is situated, on Saturday evening. The force said that a 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged breach of the peace.

Mr Yousaf has endured a tough first week in charged, forced to defend his decision to include a minister for Scottish independence in his new government team after coming under fire for having a “taxpayer-funded nationalist campaigner”.

His nearest rival, Kate Forbes, refused to join his cabinet – rejecting a big demotion from finance secretary to rural affairs secretary.

And former SNP minister Fergus Ewing has called for the end of the powersharing agreement between the SNP and the Greens as he dubbed the left-wing party partners “wine bar pseudo-intellectuals”.