Scottish Tories 'very frustrated' by party leadership turmoil

Scottish Tories are "very frustrated" by the UK party's leadership turmoil, according to their chairman.

Craig Hoy told BBC Scotland his colleagues want to focus on holding the SNP to account over independence.

Supporters of ex-PM Boris Johnson had been resolute that he would stand, until he announced on Sunday evening that he would not put his name forward.

Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are now left in the race following Liz Truss's resignation.

Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney said the Tories had fallen into disrepute as he called for a general election.

Liz Truss was forced to stand down after 45 days in office - the shortest premiership of any UK prime minister - as her policy programme spooked the financial markets.

The race for the party's next leader has begun with a winner being declared on Friday.

According to our own BBC figures, which are being updated here, Mr Sunak has 153 Conservative MPs who have publicly given him their backing, while Ms Mordaunt has 25.

During an appearance on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show, Scottish Conservatives chairman Craig Hoy was pressed on whether his party could realistically lead a government in the wake of recent financial chaos.

It was put to him that other parties including Labour and the SNP have called for a general election.

He said: "This is well within the constitution and within the rules and I think what the Scottish and British people now want us to do is to govern in their interest, which is to seriously tackle the issues we see in the economy.

"And don't forget that many of these issues are global issues, which is why the distraction of events at Westminster has been very, very frustrating for us as Scottish Conservatives as well because we want to focus on holding the SNP to account."

Asked to comment on whether the Scottish Conservatives could work with Mr Johnson if he were to become PM for a second time, Mr Hoy said "we don't even know if he will throw his hat into the ring".

He reiterated his position that it would be "inappropriate" for him to declare support for any candidate.

"I think we should be very cautious of hypothetical situations," he added.

"We will have this wrapped up by Friday so that we can start to focus on the people's priorities and that is making sure that we help households both here in Scotland and throughout the rest of the UK."

Boris Johnson's final months in office were dogged by accusations he broke ministerial rules by not telling the truth about parties in Downing Street during the Covid lockdown.

He remains under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Committee, which could lead to him being suspended from Parliament, or being kicked out as an MP.

John Swinney accused the Conservatives of treating the leadership race as their "plaything", a move he said had "completely wrecked" their reputation.

Reiterating his party's calls for a general election, Mr Swinney said: "The Conservative Party has to realise itself that it's no longer fit to govern and that the people of this country must be given the chance to decide on the way we are governed moving forward.

"If we put enough pressure on them, then the Conservative Party has to realise the mistakes that they have made and be held to account."

Mr Hoy argued that the country "would be in a much deeper hole" if it was to pursue independence according to the SNP's economy paper released on Monday.

Indy opponents and some economists including the Institute for Fiscal Studies have said the paper lacks detail on key issues.

However, Mr Swinney said Scotland was "very finely balanced" on the issue of independence.

He said further information would be set out in the coming weeks and months that would "provide answers that people are looking for".

The deputy first minister said: "We've got a credibility of a government - and to be fair to governments of all political colours in Scotland - for 22 years of living within our resources.

"That gives fiscal credibility to the Scottish government. Build that onto an independent central bank and that begins to build the financial credibility that is essential - and which has been squandered by the Conservative Party by its behaviour in recent weeks."

Meanwhile, Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray told The Sunday Show there must be a general election to end the Tory Party "soap opera".

He said: This isn't a game. People are struggling to pay their energy bills. They are making decisions about heating and eating, but can do neither.

"The economy has been trashed, pensions have been trashed and yet we're in a situation today where it's like some EastEnders soap opera."