THE only Conservative MP north of the Border, Scotland Office minister David Mundell, will be targeted by the UK Independence Party at next May's General Election, and MEP David Coburn says he is considering seeking to be the candidate to oust him.

Elected on a tide of UK publicity for Nigel Farage in this year's European election Mr Coburn described the Tories as "finished north of the Border".

He said of the Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale constituency, with its 4,194 (9.1 per cent) Tory majority: "We will remove Mundell and make Scotland a Tory-free zone.

"We will pour resources and bodies into the seat. We can reach parts of the constituency that other parties cannot."

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: "A vote for Nigel Farage next year will do only one thing and that's put Ed Miliband in Downing Street. We will be fighting this election campaign with confidence, focusing on delivering our long-term economic plan for Scotland and the UK."

But unlike in England there is no evidence to suggest Ukip will become a force in the coming election.

SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie said: "In Scotland the reactionary politics of Ukip are a major turn-off."