Overview

The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party (Conservatives) is a centre-right party opposed to Scottish independence. For the last parliamentary term, the party has had the second largest number of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, the second largest number of Scottish MPs in Westminster, and has been the official opposition party in Scotland. The party has never been the largest party in Scotland.

The Conservatives are led by Douglas Ross, an MP for Moray, north-east Scotland, who became leader in August 2020. Previously serving as parliamentary under-secretary for Scotland, Ross resigned from his position over the UK Government’s handling of Dominic Cummings, former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, breaching the Government’s coronavirus lockdown rules. 

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Rebuilding

Information on the Conservative Party’s plans and position around rebuilding Scotland after the pandemic will be added as new information is released.

Environment

The Scottish Conservatives have set a number of environmental targets as part of their election campaign, including:

  • net-zero emissions by 2045;
  • a ban on the export of plastic waste to developing countries; and
  • support for Scotland’s agricultural industry to develop sustainable farming practices.

Freedom

The Scottish Conservatives have committed to repealing the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill. We have engaged with the Scottish Government over the process of this Act, and you can find out more about this topic and our position in our article here.

Addiction

Information on the Conservative Party’s plans and position around addiction and other drug-related policies will be added as new information is released.

Poverty

To tackle poverty in Scotland, the Scottish Conservatives propose a £500 ​‘Retrain to Rebuild’ grant to help people learn new skills and built their careers. The party has also stated their commitment to end homelessness by 2026.

Justice

On issues relating to justice, the Scottish Conservatives aim to:

  • introduce whole-life sentences;
  • overhaul prison and parole rules to give victims a greater say over release arrangements; and
  • bring in a victims’ law to put the justice system on the side of victims.