Russell Findlay is leader of the Scottish Conservatives and a regional MSP for West Scotland. A former investigative journalist, he took over the party leadership in January 2023.Source: Lowdown reporting

What does the Scottish Tory manifesto promise for 2026?

Get Scotland Working centres on a 500 pound pensioner council tax cut, though the IFS described this as unlikely to survive contact with reality.Source: IFS assessment, April 2026

Will the Scottish Conservatives lose all their constituency seats in 2026?

An Electoral Calculus MRP projects them at zero constituency seats, with all five current Tory constituencies falling to the SNP. The party would hold nine seats, all from regional lists.Source: Electoral Calculus MRP, April 2026

Background

Russell Findlay leads the Scottish Conservatives, having taken over the leadership in January 2023 after succeeding Douglas Ross. A former investigative journalist at the Daily Record, he became an MSP for West Scotland on the regional list in 2021. He led the party into the 7 May 2026 Holyrood election on the Get Scotland Working manifesto, centred on a £500 pensioner council tax cut dismissed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies as unlikely to survive contact with reality.

The 7 May result delivered the worst Scottish Conservative performance since devolution: 12 seats (all regional list), zero constituency seats, and a collapse from official opposition status as Scottish Labour finished on 17. All five constituency seats fell to the SNP, as Electoral Calculus's MRP had projected in April. Findlay refused to resign after polling night, framing the result as a necessary, painful stage in a long-term rebuilding process and declining Swinney's invitation to post-election talks.

Findlay neutralised the immediate leadership threat by co-opting his two most credible potential challengers: Murdo Fraser (Constitution and Finance brief) and Meghan Gallacher (Housing) were brought onto the frontbench within days of the result, while Sandesh Gulhane retained the Health brief. All Scottish Conservative Westminster MPs backed Findlay's continuity. With Scottish Labour now the formal opposition and Reform Scotland holding 17 seats, the Scottish Conservatives face a structural fight to remain relevant in the chamber.