Murdo Fraser is ready to welcome Douglas Ross back into the heart of the Scottish Tories if he is chosen to succeed him as leader.
The veteran MSP extended an olive branch to his current boss on the day North East MSP Liam Kerr and fellow candidate Jamie Greene dropped out of the contest to back his campaign.
It comes after party insiders claimed Mr Ross had lost the support of up to half of the Tories at Holyrood and could face an orchestrated campaign to force him out if he insists on staying on until a new leader is chosen.
A sorry chapter
Senior figures shone a light on the extraordinary civil war engulfing the Conservatives, with claims of leadership candidates planting “hit pieces” against each other and conspiracies over party staff interfering in campaigns.
At a campaign event in Perth, Mr Fraser was unexpectedly flanked by Mr Kerr and Mr Greene as he called on the two remaining contenders, Meghan Gallacher and Russell Findlay, to join him and “bring this sorry chapter to a close”.
“Come and join this team,” he said.
“Show our members and the country that we understand their frustration. That we have responded to their deep concerns.”
A way back for Douglas Ross?
Asked if there is room for Douglas Ross on his team – and in his shadow cabinet – if he is chosen as the next leader, Mr Fraser described the Highlands and Islands MSP as a friend and praised his record at Holyrood.
He added: “If Douglas wants to be a part of my team, I’d be delighted to have him.”
Mr Fraser said keeping the contest running as planned until September 27 risked the party sending five weeks shouting at each other “under a cloud of suspicion and impropriety”.
However, Mr Findlay immediately rejected any chance of that, saying he is opposed to a coronation of himself or anyone else.
He added: “Our members should decide the next leader. Not any small group of people at Holyrood.”
Ms Gallacher has yet to respond to the call for her to drop out of the race.
Why are Greene and Kerr dropping out?
Mr Greene told the audience in Perth he is ending his own campaign because Mr Fraser is the only candidate with the “gumption” to turn things around for the party.
Mr Kerr had a similar message, saying the party must unite under a “strong, experienced and respected leader”.
In his own speech, Mr Fraser pitched himself as the candidate for change, borrowing a phrase from Kate Forbes’s SNP leadership bid – “continuity won’t cut it”.
He said: “The last few weeks have proven that real change is an absolute necessity. It is a matter of survival for our party.”
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