North East Tory MSP Maurice Golden has ruled himself out of the Scottish Tory leadership contest – even though he was preparing a bid.
The Conservative politician revealed he will instead be backing North East colleague Liam Kerr, who announced his candidacy on Monday.
“Liam’s been a top performer in Holyrood throughout his time there,” Mr Golden said. “He’s a fantastic thinker. He can unify the group.”
Mr Golden warned the Scottish Tories are going through an identity crisis, and claimed Mr Kerr is best-placed to fix that.
The Conservatives picked up just 12% of the vote north of the border at the Westminster election, their worst ever performance.
At the time, Mr Golden said simply opposing independence was not a “credible core message” for the party moving forward.
The North East MSP told The Courier he was readied for a leadership run, before holding discussions with Mr Kerr.
He said: “I was set up in terms of communications and funding. A leadership bid was good to go.
“But I think Liam is the best person to take the party forward.”
Mr Kerr has claimed he can win back Reform voters who have abandoned the Tories in the north-east at the 2026 election.
He has warned current frontruner, former crime journalist Russell Findlay, may struggle to unify the fractured party.
Former Olympian Brian Whittle, deputy leader Meghan Gallacher, and West Scotland MSP Jamie Greene are all in the running.
Candidates will need 100 nominations from party members to get on the ballot paper, and the winner will be announced on September 27.