Improved transport links have been put at the centre of the Scottish Conservatives’ plans to try to double the number of their MSPs in the north-east.
Party leader Ruth Davidson took to the sky yesterday in a helicopter tour that featured both Peterhead and Keith as the frantic race for votes reached the home straight.
After piloting a ship into the Aberdeenshire harbour on a simulator, Ms Davidson received lessons on using a needle and thread at the Kilt School in the Moray town.
Speaking on her latest visit to the region, Ms Davidson said: “If you look at the road infrastructure for some of the industries here, it’s just not up to scratch.
“If you want people to live here, build businesses here and employ people here and not have them leave then you have got to have that connectivity.”
A national road maintenance fund has been proposed by the Conservatives to allow the north-east to continue to be the “economic powerhouse” of the country. The need for improved broadband links have also been highlighted.
The party is aiming to double its contingent of MSPs in the north-east to four at tomorrow’s election.
With the campaign now in its final day, the party’s figurehead has been running on Diet Coke to find the energy to keep fighting for the final votes.
Ms Davidson said: “It’s been clear to me that people who have never voted Conservative previously and would never even consider voting for the party are coming to us. They want a job done, somebody to stand up to the SNP, put them under pressure and hold them to account.”
During her visit to Keith, Ms Davidson laughed off claims from SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon that her party was the only one taking the north-east seriously.
The Conservative leader said: “It’s the first time she has been up here in six-and-a-half weeks. I’ve been up half a dozen times or more.
“Aberdeenshire doesn’t get its fair share, neither does the city. This part of the world has been the economic powerhouse for Scotland but has not seen the investment go back in.”
Ms Davidson also planned to visit Oban as part of the helicopter tour but it was cancelled due to bad weather.