Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has urged pro-UK voters to unite around his party on their peach ballot paper on Thursday to stop an SNP majority.
Findlay will be campaigning in Perthshire today alongside Roz McCall, who is standing in the Perthshire South and Kinross-shire constituency which the SNP won by fewer than 2,000 votes in 2021.
Findlay pointed to a series of recent polls showing that John Swinney is on the brink of securing the majority he craves and will use to demand another independence referendum.
However, they also show that a split in the pro-UK vote – including by people backing Reform in certain constituencies, and any other party on the peach ballot – could help Swinney and the SNP over the line.
Findlay says peach-ballot votes for his party under Ruth Davidson in 2016 and Douglas Ross in 2021 helped stop SNP majorities – and can do so again on Thursday.
He added that only his party can be trusted to defend Scotland’s place in the UK, given Reform are fielding pro-independence candidates and Labour and the Liberal Democrats have failed to stand up to Swinney’s threats during the campaign.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “Poll after poll says the SNP will get a majority on Thursday which John Swinney says he will use to instantly demand another independence referendum.
“Pro-UK voters have the power to extinguish this threat by uniting behind the Scottish Conservatives on their peach ballot paper.
“Voting Reform in certain constituencies will be a gift for the SNP – as will voting for other parties on the peach ballot paper.
“Pro-UK voters joined forces with the Scottish Conservatives on the peach ballot in the 2016 and 2021 elections to stop SNP majorities.
“John Swinney already thinks he has this election won. But if pro-UK voters turn out like they have before and vote Scottish Conservative, then they can stop him and his push for another referendum.”