THINK ABOUT A TACTICAL VOTE TO SEE OFF THE SNP SAYS ROSS
Tory leader urges support for ‘best-placed candidate’
PRO-UNION voters should back the best-placed candidate to beat the SNP when the country goes to the polls next month, according to the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
In an unprecedented intervention, Douglas Ross has suggested some of his own voters should consider backing Labour.
He also last night pleaded with Labour and Liberal Democrat voters to back the Tories on the second regional list vote to help deny the SNP a majority.
It comes as two new polls again suggested that the SNP’s hopes of a majority are on a knife-edge. Pro-Union parties fear there could be a pro-independence majority even if more than half of Scots back unionist parties in next month’s election.
Mr Ross was yesterday challenged on tactical voting during a BBC Scotland phone-in by a Tory voter who said he was planning to vote Labour because they are currently in second place behind the SNP in his constituency – well ahead of the Conservatives.
Asked if he would support that, Mr Ross said: ‘What I’m saying is we need to do everything possible to get rid of this SNP Government because they have failed Scotland over the last 14 years.
‘Now in many seats, first past the post seats, in Scotland, the Scottish Conservatives hold those seats, seven seats across
‘We need to do everything possible’
the country, and in many others we are in second place, so the strongest choice to get rid of the incumbent or the SNP candidate seeking to win that seat.’
‘The crucial vote is therefore in the party list vote. People can choose to do what they think is right in the constituency, and I hope as many people as possible vote Conservative, particularly where we have got a very good chance of winning across Scotland. But on the second party list vote, that’s the votes that stopped an SNP majority back in 2016, because people of all parties and no political persuasion voted Scottish Conservative on that party list vote.
‘So that’s the key to stopping an SNP majority, stopping another independence referendum and getting our focus in Scotland back on the recovery.’
The caller said he was ‘dodging the question’ and said the Tory candidate in his constituency had ‘no chance of winning’.
He said: ‘Should a Conservative vote for Labour, who have a chance of winning?’
Mr Ross said: ‘Across the country, people should look at their individual constituency and vote for the strongest candidate, which in most cases is a Conservative candidate, to defeat the SNP.’
Asked again by presenter Kaye Adams to clarify if the caller should vote Labour, he said: ‘I have said vote for the strongest party to stop the SNP.’
It is understood the Tories believe they are the best-placed party to beat the SNP in 37 of the 73 constituency seats, based on results in the 2016 Holyrood elections and the two general elections in 2017 and 2019.
The main Tory campaign strategy in the coming weeks will be to encourage pro-Union voters to unite behind them on the regional list vote.
Last night, Mr Ross said: ‘If proUK voters unite again behind the Scottish Conservatives with their party list vote, however they are planning to vote in their constituency and even if they have previously voted Labour or Liberal Democrat, we can stop an SNP majority and stop their push for another divisive referendum.
‘We stopped their plans for another referendum in 2016 and we can stop them again in May if the pro-UK vote sticks together.’
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar refused to encourage tactical voting, saying: ‘For me, this is about making sure we have a parliament that is focused on recovery, not egos, not settling scores, not going back to the old arguments.’
Pressed on whether he would rather see a Lib Dem or Conservative MSP or a Nationalist MSP, he said: ‘What I don’t think politicians should do is attempt to game the system. You are seeing that in terms of a couple of big egos in this election campaign.
‘Individuals can make their own choice when it comes to voting.’
He said that stopping an SNP majority is ‘absolutely important for the country’ so different parties need to work together.
He added: ‘The risk that we have is people want to make this election campaign a circus, and they want the next parliament to be a circus. Who pays the price for it being a circus? People across the country who need the parliament to work for them.’
Two new opinion polls yesterday found dramatically different results. Analysis of the findings of a Savanta ComRes poll for The Scotsman suggested the SNP would fall one short of a majority, while an Opinium survey for Sky News indicated it would win a 13-seat majority.
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said: ‘This is the endorsement Anas Sarwar was dreading, but the message is now crystal clear – a vote for Labour will be claimed by the Tories to hand control over to Boris Johnson.
‘The decisive way to stop Boris Johnson deciding Scotland’s future is to give both votes to the SNP for Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister.’
‘Big egos in this election campaign’