Douglas Ross has claimed that Nicola Sturgeon’s “legacy lies in tatters” as he told his party’s conference that the Tories are the only one that will stand up to the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Tory leader claimed his party can provide the “positive vision Scotland needs” as he said the country was “at a crossroad” as the “Nicola Sturgeon era of Scottish politics comes crashing down”.
Mr Ross, in his keynote speech at the SEC in Glasgow, took aim at Labour for what he claimed is Anas Sarwar’s party cosying up with the SNP.
Read more: Douglas Ross accuses Nicola Sturgeon of 'calculated' emotional display
The Scottish Conservative leader tore into the turmoil in the SNP and criticised Humza Yousaf’s government for not focusing on domestic issues.
Mr Ross also took credit for the downfall of Ms Sturgeon.
He said: “We knew that her government and her party, shrouded in secrecy, was not as squeaky clean as they liked to portray.
“And we were criticised again and again for going against the Holyrood consensus who heaped praise her. But no one is saying we are wrong, now.
Read more: Rishi Sunak: I gave Humza Yousaf a 'completely firm' No to Indyref2
“Nicola Sturgeon’s legacy lies in tatters. Her political career ended in failure. And all of you deserve credit for seeing her off.” He said that since Ms Sturgeon’s departure, the “SNP have entered into total meltdown”.
Mr Ross added: “The formerly legendary discipline has evaporated, the unity has now totally broken down.
“Former colleagues have become bitter rivals, the party has run out of cash, the police have arrested senior officials.”
He accused Mr Yousaf of having “continued the same divisive approach as his predecessor”, adding that he is “ continuing to campaign for independence, continuing to engineer constitutional conflicts with the UK Government, continuing to ignore the real priorities of the Scottish people”.
Mr Ross said: “In another one of his ill-advised self-proclamations, Humza Yousaf called himself the first activist, and that pretty much sums up his whole approach to government.
Read more: Douglas Ross: SNP cash crisis has 'crashed the case for independence'
“He is more interested in being the “first activist” than First Minister – in obsessing over splitting up communities than he is on appealing to the country, in uniting the SNP rather than uniting Scotland, in being a nationalist cheerleader than a national leader.”
Mr Ross told party activists that “people of all political backgrounds – right and left, unionist and nationalist” are “looking for a party to focus on the issues and services that matter to them”.
Turning his attention to Labour, Mr Ross accused Anas Sarwar’s party of being “more interested in soundbites and playing politics – than standing up for the views of a majority of Scots”.
He added: “So it’s the Scottish Conservatives that are the only party voters can trust to always stand up to the SNP Government when they refuse to prioritise the issues that really matter.”
Mr Ross highlighted plans by his party is the only one “standing up for Scotland’s oil”.
He claimed that the SNP, the “former party of ‘Scotland’s oil now wants to shut down North Sea production as soon as possible”, adding that the Government is “putting tens of thousands of Scottish jobs at risk”.
Mr Ross said: “Under my leadership the Scottish Conservatives will always stand up for North East workers and the sector that employs them. We will always put their jobs first.
“Through the hard work of our strong team of North East MPs and MSPs we are now the only party standing up for Scotland’s oil.”
He announced policies to help homeowners make their properties more energy efficient, and to give local communities the final say on renewable energy developments.
Mr Ross also promised a “new deal” for teachers, which he said would “cut down on paperwork, give teachers more time to prepare high-quality lessons and reward them for extra classes and after school teaching”.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “That was a bitter and boring speech from Douglas Ross.
“The crowd will not have much to discuss in their single cab journey on the way home.
“The Scottish Tories are yesterday’s men and women. Only Labour can boot the Tories out of power and change our country."
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