Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has insisted he is “perfectly relaxed” about retaining his Holyrood seat, dismissing jibes from Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer as 'like being bitten by a sheep' despite warnings over his electoral prospects.
The Scottish Conservative leader also defended his party’s proposed £500 tax rebate for pensioners, denying that it amounted to an expensive new benefit.
Mr Findlay was speaking during a campaign visit to Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, where he unveiled a large mock receipt highlighting what the Scottish Conservatives have branded “SNP waste”.
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Before the visit, Mr Greer said Mr Findlay losing his seat at the next Holyrood election would be the “funniest thing”.
His remarks came after polling analysis by Professor John Curtice this week suggested the Conservative leader could be at risk of missing out on a West Scotland regional list seat if his party colleague Jackson Carlaw retains the Eastwood constituency.
Mr Findlay is not contesting a constituency seat, raising the prospect he could become the first leader of a major party to lose his place at Holyrood.
Speaking to The Herald this afternoon following the Green Co-leader's remarks, Mr Findlay said: “Being mocked by Ross Greer sounds like being bitten by a sheep. It doesn’t sound particularly much to worry about."
“I am perfectly relaxed. I am going to come back to Holyrood and stand up for common sense Conservative values whilst Ross Greer desperately hopes to jump into a coalition with John Swinney and to continue peddling their damaging policies.”
He added: “Whatever happens, I’ve had a long career outside politics. I think Ross Greer probably left school and immediately immersed himself in the Holyrood bubble from where he has never returned but I’m perfectly relaxed about whatever the future holds.”
Asked if he had any doubts about holding onto a seat, Mr Findlay said: “None at all.
“Whatever happens, I know I can survive in the real world. I don’t think Ross Greer has much chance in surviving outside the Holyrood bubble.”
Responding, Mr Greer said: “The Scottish Greens are promising to save people money by delivering policies like free bus travel and fixing our broken childcare system. Meanwhile, the Tories’ headline policy is a tax cut for their rich mates.
"The biggest open secret in Parliament in the last year is that Russell Findlay was everyone's top bet to defect to Reform if he hadn't won the Tory leadership and found himself stuck there.
“He's probably regretting his life choices round about now, with the polls showing the Conservatives set to lose two thirds of their seats, whilst the Greens are currently on track to more than double our numbers and replace them as the biggest opposition."
Mr Findlay also denied his new pledge to "hand back £500" to pensioners was an expensive benefit.
Under the policy announced earlier this week at the party's manifesto launch, pensioners would be able to reclaim the first £500 of tax paid on pension income, with the figure triple-locked to rise in line with earnings, inflation or 2% - whichever is highest.
The party estimates the measure would cost £209 million by 2029-30, rising to £230m annually by 2031-32, funded through reductions in benefits spending and public sector bureaucracy.
Under the same plans from the Scottish Conservatives, working families on low incomes would have their Scottish Child Payment cut.
Mr Findlay denied the policy was an expensive benefit, following his previous criticism of what he has described as the SNP’s “bloated benefits system”.
Asked if the policy was an expensive benefit, the Scottish Conservative leader told The Herald: “No, it’s not. Most pensioners have worked throughout their lives, they have had their winter fuel payment snatched from them by Keir Starmer after it was protected by the previous Conservative government for 14 years. They deserve a tax break.”
He added the proposal was “entirely fair and reasonable”, saying: “This would be something that pensioners would apply for and I would like to think that if you fell it that category of being a very wealthy pensioner, in all likelihood, you choose not to do so[apply for the rebate].”
Mr Findlay pointed out that a “reduction in income tax across the board” is also included in their manifesto.
The Conservatives plan to cut income tax by raising the threshold at which workers begin paying, introducing a new lower rate of 19%, and ending the freeze on the higher-rate threshold. They say these tax reductions would be funded by reining in the SNP’s £7 billion benefits bill and reducing government bureaucracy.
The party claims the Scottish National Party government has wasted at least £6. of taxpayers’ money during the current parliamentary session, based on analysis drawing on spending reviews and Freedom of Information responses.
Mr Findlay said: “The SNP that’s been in charge for the best part of two decades and in that time they have wasted astronomical sums of taxpayers’ money by any interpretation.
“They have squandered money in the most outrageous and obscene way. It actually amounts, I think to a complete disrespect towards taxpayers.”
Projects cited include the Ferguson Marine ferry contracts, now approaching £500m, £1.8bn linked to delayed hospital discharge, and the estimated £1bn cost of replacing HMP Glasgow. The analysis also highlights £145m spent on the census, £29m on a scrapped National Care Service, £7m on independence-related communications, £6m on mobile phones for prisoners, and close to £1m in legal costs related to gender self-identification legislation.
According to the Conservatives, the £6.2bn total covers the period from 2021–22 to 2025–26 and includes spending by the Scottish Government and associated public bodies.
Karen Adam, SNP candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast: “The SNP will take no lectures on economic competency from someone who backed Liz Truss to the hilt as she crashed our economy. Scottish voters will never forget the damage the Tories inflicted on Scotland.
“Unlike the Tories, Scotland has balanced its budget every year under the SNP and we will continue to manage the public finances prudently.”
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