Who is Russell Findlay? The ex-journalist now leading Scots Tories

Findlay was the first to officially declare his leadership bid after three years as an MSP and months on the national campaign trail where he earned a reputation among grassroots Tories as a vocal opponent of the Scottish National Party and Scottish independence. 

It is therefore no great shock that he managed to see off competition from Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher to be named as the new Scottish Tory leader. 

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The new leader won 2,565 votes, the party’s returning officer Leonard Wallace announced on Friday, with Mr Fraser coming second with 1,187 votes and Ms Gallacher in third with 403 votes.

The turnout was 60%, with Mr Wallace announcing the party has just shy of 7,000 members, 4,155 of whom voted in the leadership contest.

Speaking immediately after his win was announced, Mr Findlay said: “Everyone must come together as one united team.

“Let us start the hard work right now to win back public trust.

“I want to deliver the message to people across Scotland who do not feel that anyone represents them, who are scunnered by the divisiveness and fringe obsessions of the Scottish Parliament who feel let down and failed by politicians of every single party, including ours, who think politicians are all the same.

“I feel that way – I get it, but I’m not the same.”

But who is Russell Findlay and what is his history?

Life as a journalist

Mr Findlay spent most of his working life as a journalist establishing himself as an award-winning investigative reporter for the Sunday Mail and going on to work for the Scottish Sun and STV.

Notable stories during that time included his work on the disappearance of Margaret Fleming and subsequent fight for justice. 

However, it was in crime reporting, namely in Scotland's ongoing drug wars and the long-running battle between the Daniels and Lyons crime clans, where Findlay consistently broke exclusives and shed light on the violence, dealings and perpetrators. 

Those gang wars were the subject of three of four books written by Findlay, including The Ice Man, which was co-written with fellow journalist Jim Wilson and tells the story of Glasgow hitman and crime lord, Jamie Stevenson.

After leaving STV he joined the Scottish Conservatives as director of communications before deciding to run as an MSP.

Acid attack

Findlay's fourth book, 'Acid Attack', tells of his personal war with criminals, which reached a near-fatal crescendo just days before Christmas in 2015 when he was targeted by a hitman on his doorstep in Glasgow.

Findlay's daughter initially answered the door to William Burns, who had disguised himself as a postman to carry out the attack. Burns threw acid directly into Findlay's face and was wielding a knife when the journalist fought back. Findlay restrained his attacker and held him until police arrived. Witnesses heard Findlay ask his attacker 'why did they send a fat clown like you as a hitman?' and Findlay later posted on social media that Burns had left his teeth in his front driveway.

Court would later hear how Findlay required plastic surgery following the attack and was fortunate not to have been blinded. After Burns was given a 15-year sentence the jury was also told how the attempted hit on Findlay took place just months after Burns had been freed from a 15-year sentence for shooting a woman during a post-office robbery in 2001.

His time as an MSP

Mr Findlay initially ran for Holyrood as the candidate for Paisley, losing the vote but being elected on the party list for the West Scotland region.

In the Scottish Parliament he has focused largely on justice issues and notable successes include his campaign to halt drug-soaked mail from entering Scottish prisons. Following a high-profile overdose at a high security prison and repeated incidents and interventions by Findlay the Scottish Government agreed to a new system where mail would be photocopied and then distributed to prisoners. 

He’s also been a vocal critic of the SNP’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill.