Ukip: We’ll finish off the Conservatives in Scotland Farage’s party targets only Tory seat north of the Border
UKIP has vowed to put the Scottish Tories ‘out of their misery’ by ousting the party’s last remaining MP.
Nigel Farage’s party has identified Scotland Office Minister David Mundell’s seat as one of its key targets in Scotland.
Ukip MEP David Coburn, who wants to give up his seat in the European Parliament to become an MP, bullishly claimed he would wipe the Tories out north of the Border.
But Mr Mundell, who has been MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale since 2005, insisted the Scottish Tories are ‘in a good place’ and that voters will reject Ukip’s ‘negativity’ in May’s General Election.
Mr Coburn, who has family links in the Borders, said: ‘We will be happy to give the Tories the coup de grace and put them out of their misery. The beast is dead – they had a dead cat bounce in the recent referendum but it won’t go very far.
‘The Tories are a dead beast – they are dead and gone. They should give up gracefully. I think they are toxic; the brand is thoroughly toxic.
‘People receive Ukip in a better way. They represent big business and the lairds, while Ukip is a meritocratic party.’
He also launched a vicious attack on Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson. ‘Their leader is nice enough, she tries hard, but it is mince,’ he said. ‘It is like political porridge – there’s no zest to it.
‘She has made them even more like the rest of the parties, even more like Labour and the SNP. There is nothing there to identify them at all. That consensus is so cosy.’
The latest polls suggest the Tories will get 17 per cent of the vote in Scotland in May – the same percentage as in 2010.
Ukip officials claim their own polling suggests the party is currently in line to secure around 15 per cent of the vote in Scotland in 2015. But official polls have never put it above 7 per cent.
As well as Mr Mundell, disgraced MP Eric Joyce’s Falkirk seat is a top Ukip target. The party is also focusing on seats in the Highlands, including Moray. Across Scotland, it wants to put up around 40 candidates.
Ukip Scotland chairman Misty Thackeray said: ‘It would not be a bad thing for Ukip if we removed the last Tory MP from Scotland. It’s safe to say they can expect some stiff competition from Ukip.’
Mr Mundell said: ‘I am happy to take my chances with my constituents against Mr Coburn. The wider point in Scotland is that a vote for Ukip is a vote to put Ed Miliband in Downing Street.
‘I am confident the Conservatives will do well in the General Election in Scotland. That’s based on us increasing our vote in the European elections despite Ukip, doing well in lots of local government elections and Ruth being acknowledged as one of the stars of the referendum campaign. We are in a good place.
‘The difference between us and Ukip is we offer a positive vision for Scotland in the UK and don’t spend our time slating other parties. People don’t want this sort of negativity, they want something positive – and that’s what we will give them.’
‘We will put them out of their misery’