Tories will 'wield claymore' on spending, says Findlay

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has pledged to save £650m from the Scottish budget if elected at next year's Holyrood election.

Findlay said he would achieve this by introducing a Taxpayer Saving Act to "cut red tape and get a grip on spending" alongside a Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency (Save) to "wield a claymore" on waste.

Findlay told the party's conference in Edinburgh he would put "streamlining" the Scottish government at the heart of his plans if elected next year.

He urged voters to back the Scottish Conservatives over Reform UK, adding a vote for Nigel Farage's party would only result in "another five years of SNP government".

In his keynote speech to members, Findlay accused John Swinney's government of "wasting untold sums of public money".

He said the party would shut down government quangos, reduce the number of ministers and advisors and cut the size of the civil service to levels last seen 10 years ago in order to "deliver better value".

Money regained from the Taxpayer Saving Act would be used to reduce taxes, he told the conference at Murrayfield Stadium.

Save, which would be run by business leaders, would be tasked with cutting government "waste," while an Accountability and Transparency Index would be introduced as a way of "shining a light" on organisations which receive public funding.

He also said a £20,000 pay rise for ministers would be reversed.

Findlay told party members: "There will be no more jobs for the SNP boys.

"Putting a stop to wasteful spending is top of our agenda.

"We need to urgently streamline bloated government."

He added: "Improving services means treating people's money with respect."

Findlay also revealed plans to scrap the SNP's 2045 net zero target and replaced the Just Transition Fund with an Affordable Transition Fund aimed at supporting oil and gas workers.

On Friday, the UK Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, used her speech at the conference to call for an end to the windfall tax in the North Sea.

Findlay said residents would be given new powers to oppose "mega-pylons" and would end the current presumption against new nuclear energy in Scotland.

The Conservative leader claimed pupils in schools were being "written off" and that "woke ideas" were being pushed on children "at the expense of vital knowledge".

Findlay said his party offered a "common sense vision" for Scotland.

But he said those considering abandoning the party in favour of Reform would only help the SNP hang on to power.

Aberdeenshire councillor Lauren Knight became the latest Conservative councillor to defect to Reform on Friday, stating she felt "let down" by the party.

Reform also finished ahead of the Conservatives in the recent Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, which saw the Tory vote fall by 11.5%.

Findlay described Farage's spending plans as "fantastical" and said only his party could "shake up Scottish politics".

He said: "Reform pretend they can do it, but all they'll achieve is another five years of SNP government.

"As we saw at the General Election, and as every poll shows, Reform increases the chance of the SNP winning."

He added: "Maybe it's because Nigel Farage says he's not worried about the SNP getting another five-year term.

"Well we are worried about the SNP, Nigel, because we live here.

"But we can't spend our time focusing on Reform because it's what we do that matters most."

The first thing Russell Findlay did in this speech was to acknowledge the scale of the challenge that lies ahead.

He said it was a "mammoth task" for the Conservatives to win back voter trust after the party had 'lost its way' in power at Westminster.

He knows that Reform UK is drawing support away from the Tories in Scotland and accused Nigel Farage of making undeliverable spending promises.

Much of his fire was directed at his current Holyrood rivals - the SNP and Labour - who he believes represent a left-leaning consensus.

His alternative is a tax-cutting agenda which he believes can be funded from reducing wasteful public spending.

In the election campaign to come, expect plenty of political argument over what is wasteful and what is essential in the delivery of Scottish public services.