Russell Findlay will 'work constructively' with new Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch

Russell Findlay has said he will ‘work constructively’ with Kemi Badenoch as she was elected leader of the UK Conservative Party on Saturday.

The North West Essex Conservative MP will replace former prime minister Rishi Sunak as leader of the Opposition and seek to chart a path back to power for the Tories after their disastrous election defeat in July.

Badenoch, the former business secretary, was declared the winner at an event in central London on Saturday, defeating rival Robert Jenrick by 53,806 votes to 41,388.

The Scottish Tory leader, who also won a leadership contest this year to replace Douglas Ross, said he and Badenoch shared ‘common-sense conservative values’ and would hold both the SNP and Labour to account.

He told STV News: “Politics isn’t easy but Kemi and I are new in the leadership roles, we both understand people’s true concerns, we both advocate common-sense conservative policies and values.

“I think when people see the catastrophic nature of government in Edinburgh under the SNP and Labour in London, they will see that we are the only serious alternative.”

Kemi Badenoch was elected Tory leader on Saturday. Flickr

The Scottish National Party depute leader Keith Brown, however, said Badenoch’s election “has finalised the Tories’ lurch to the far right”.

He added: “Whether it’s rolling back maternity pay or targeting the rights of minorities, Badenoch’s win demonstrates how out of touch the Tories are with people across Scotland.

“The Tory party is now firmly dancing to the dangerous tune of Nigel Farage – it is essential that in Scotland, Russell Findlay doesn’t dance along and instead stands up for Scotland’s inclusive and progressive values.

“With the Labour government punishing the most vulnerable in our society with cuts to pensioners’ winter fuel support and the Tories now being puppeted by Nigel Farage, it has never been more essential that Scotland escapes the Westminster chaos and charts a better future as an independent nation.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar offered his support for her landmark election as the first black woman to take the helm for her party but said she should apologise to the Scottish people, as any Tory leader should.

He said: “I congratulate Kemi Badenoch on her historic achievement as the first Black female leader of the Conservative Party.

“The first thing any new Tory leader should do is apologise to Scots for gambling with families’ savings, crashing the economy and sending bills soaring while putting party before country.

“Yet with Badenoch already talking about cutting the maternity pay that is vital to young working families, it seems unlikely that the Tories have learned their lesson.

“The 2024 election result made it clear that voters want change not a return to a rotten Tory government.”

He added: “The UK Labour Budget ended austerity and delivered the largest Budget settlement for the Scottish Government since devolution while also increasing support for working families.”

Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said her election means “moderate, centre-right Conservatism is now utterly marginalised in the modern Conservative Party” and “seem determined to emulate the gutter politics of Farage’s far-right Reform”.

He also said it is “truly depressing to see the Tory Party now led by someone as unashamedly divisive as Kemi Badenoch”.

He added: “She has based her campaign on a nasty culture war agenda, fuelling division and pitting communities against one another. LGBTQ+ people in particular will be deeply worried that a major party is now in the hands of someone so hostile to our human rights.

“Her scaremongering on net zero targets, at a time when extreme weather events and climate impact on the world’s food system are wreaking havoc, underlines why the Tories cannot be trusted with our climate.

“She takes credit for Rishi Sunak’s decision to push back banning petrol and diesel cars to 2035. Most voters know that we don’t have time to spare, and they want Governments to show leadership and make the transition to Net Zero fair and fast.”