The Scottish Conservatives hope to defy the pollsters on Thursday (Jane Barlow/PA)
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The Scottish Tories are looking to upset the polls and deprive the SNP of an overall majority.
Throughout the campaign, Douglas Ross’ party has struggled make much headway, instead finding themselves in an electoral dogfight with Labour for second place, with both parties projected to lose seats in a number of recent studies.
Despite the battle the Tories have been locked in with the newly invigorated Scottish Labour Party under Anas Sarwar, Mr Ross and his candidates have focused more on the SNP, calling on pro-union voters to abandon their usual parties and back them on the regional list to deprive Nicola Sturgeon’s party of a majority.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ campaign has been focused on depriving the SNP of a majority so Holyrood can focus on a Covid recovery rather than independence.
Party leader Willie Rennie has said he believes that an SNP failure to deliver a parliamentary majority at the election should mean the party “puts aside” its plans for another referendum for at least five years to instead focus on recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The message is very similar to that of Scottish Labour, which is also calling for a focus on recovery rather than a return to “divisions” over the constitution.
But Mr Rennie has argued that “Liberal Democrat seats are the ones that will make the difference” to depriving the nationalists of a majority and suggested that his party is on course to add to the five MSPs elected in 2016.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ campaign has been focused on depriving the SNP of a majority so Holyrood can focus on a Covid recovery rather than independence.
Party leader Willie Rennie has said he believes that an SNP failure to deliver a parliamentary majority at the election should mean the party “puts aside” its plans for another referendum for at least five years to instead focus on recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The message is very similar to that of Scottish Labour, which is also calling for a focus on recovery rather than a return to “divisions” over the constitution.
But Mr Rennie has argued that “Liberal Democrat seats are the ones that will make the difference” to depriving the nationalists of a majority and suggested that his party is on course to add to the five MSPs elected in 2016.
Tories hope to defy pollsters in election
The Scottish Conservatives hope to defy the pollsters on Thursday (Jane Barlow/PA)
The Scottish Tories are looking to upset the polls and deprive the SNP of an overall majority.
Throughout the campaign, Douglas Ross’ party has struggled make much headway, instead finding themselves in an electoral dogfight with Labour for second place, with both parties projected to lose seats in a number of recent studies.
Despite the battle the Tories have been locked in with the newly invigorated Scottish Labour Party under Anas Sarwar, Mr Ross and his candidates have focused more on the SNP, calling on pro-union voters to abandon their usual parties and back them on the regional list to deprive Nicola Sturgeon’s party of a majority.
Scottish party leaders make their final pitches to voters in TV debate
Updated: 05/05/2021, 8:04 am
The leaders debated for the final time on Tuesday (Kirsty Anderson/PA)
Scotland’s political leaders have clashed again over the constitution in the final TV debate of the Scottish Parliament election.
The exchanges between SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and her main rivals took place less than 36 hours before voters start to go to the polls.
The TV showdown, broadcast on BBC Scotland, saw the leaders of the five largest parties debate issues ranging from coronavirus to the care system and taxation.
Nicola Sturgeon rejected the accusation that an SNP-led Scottish Government would hold an “illegal wildcat referendum”, as the Tories have said.