The leader of the Scottish Conservatives will today urge voters to use their voice “intelligently” to promote the Union in next year’s Holyrood elections.
In her speech to the Tory party conference in Manchester, Ruth Davidson will accuse Labour and the Liberal Democrats of appearing “embarrassed” by their support for Scotland’s place in the UK.
She will also hail the Scottish Conservatives as the party which represents the two million people who voted to keep the UK together in the independence referendum.
“In May, many Scottish Conservative voters supported other pro-UK parties in the hope of stopping the SNP,” the former journalist will say.
“I can tell you, there are two reasons why this will not happen next year.
“Firstly, because Labour and the Lib Dems now seem to be embarrassed by their support for Scotland’s place in the UK.
“Secondly, it’s because next year every single vote counts.”
The Glasgow MSP, who has predicted her party is on course for its best ever result, will reveal her intention to target the regional list vote.
She will say: “For so long as the SNP refuses to rule out another referendum, our message for voters looking to cast that second – regional list – vote is clear.
“Whichever party you support, use that vote intelligently, and if you’re one of the two million people who voted No in last year’s referendum, use it as your intelligent vote for the Union.
“Be assured of this. Every cross in the Scottish Conservative box is a vote to promote Scotland’s place as part of the United Kingdom we built.”
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray urged Ms Davidson to use her speech to call for a halt to tax credit cuts.
According to research he commissioned, a family making a new claim in 2017-18 will be £1,859 a year worse off under the Tory plans.
Scotland’s only Labour MP said: “Ruth Davidson addresses Tory conference having played her part in imposing a work penalty on working families in Scotland.
“These cuts have been branded the new poll tax by senior Tories. Ruth Davidson shouldn’t need reminding how disastrous that policy was for the Tories in Scotland.”