TORIES TAKE AIM AT SALMOND

Following town hall triumph, they set sights on ousting Alex at General Election

A BULLISH Ruth Davidson has launched a dramatic bid to turf Alex Salmond out of Westminster.

In a sign of the party’s soaring confidence after the council election results, the Scottish Tory leader yesterday campaigned in the heart of the North-East constituency Mr Salmond represents.

The former First Minister won Gordon with a comfortable majority in the 2015 General Election.

But having analysed the voting in Thursday’s council poll, the Tories believe they could win the seat in next month’s UK election.

Deposing Mr Salmond would be a hugely symbolic victory.

A senior Tory source – in a reference to a previous photocall in which Miss Davidson posed aboard an armoured vehicle – said yesterday: ‘We’re parking our tanks on Alex Salmond’s lawn. His seat is up for grabs.’

In contrast to the buoyant Tories, Mr Salmond looked bereft at the Aberdeenshire count on Friday.

Writing in today’s Scottish Mail on Sunday, Miss Davidson says the SNP juggernaut has run out of gas – and accuses Nicola Sturgeon of wearing a ‘rictus smile’ since Thursday to hide her disappointment at the SNP’s performance.

Speaking in Gordon yesterday, Miss Davidson said: ‘This week’s local government election has shown we are the only party in Scotland with the strength to fight back against the SNP – in every part of Scotland.

‘We won the local government election in Gordon this week, beating the SNP into second place.’

She added: ‘It means that in this seat, as in many others, it is a twohorse race between us and the Nationalists.

‘As is the case right across Scotland, the choice in Gordon is clear. It’s between a Scottish National Party that will to take us back to more division and instability and a Scottish Conservative party that will fight against another referendum so we can all move on together.’

Polls have suggested the Scottish Tories could win eight to 12 seats in next month’s General Election, in what would be their best performance in a generation.

Gordon had previously been held by the Lib Dems and was won by Mr Salmond in the SNP landslide of 2015. It was not considered a realistic Tory target – until now. Tory candidate Colin Clark came third with 6,807 votes in 2015 – less than a quarter of the number polled by Mr Salmond – but is expected to make major gains.

Analysis of local election results show the Tories won most votes in the council wards covered by the Gordon constituency.

The SNP is facing a backlash over council tax hikes, business rates increases and attempts to stay in the EU and the hated Common Fisheries Policy.

Mr Salmond’s refusal to accept the result of the 2014 independence referendum is also seen as a boost to the Tories’ election hopes.

A Tory source said: ‘Alex Salmond can’t take anything for granted in this election.

‘He is never off our TV screens making the case for another independence referendum. But what the council election results have shown, both here in his own constituency and right across Scotland, is that the last thing most people want is to be plunged back into a divisive vote on leaving the UK.’

But Mr Salmond stressed that even if the Tories polled more votes in Gordon, the SNP won more seats. He said: ‘We never take anything for granted in the North-East and I am delighted Ruth Davidson has come on a day trip – it will galvanise the SNP vote. In Gordon constituency on Thursday we elected 11 SNP councillors to nine for the Tories and six for the Liberals.

‘The Tories have being trying to oust me from the North-East for the last 30 years. Every election they claim they are going to do it – and every time they fall short.’

The Tories have not had more than one MP north of the Border since before 1997. They were already targeting seats in the Borders, Aber-

‘A two-horse race between us and the SNP’