DOUGLAS Ross has said that Reform UK could help the SNP take seats from the Scottish Tories this General Election.
The party’s leader north of the border told the BBC that voters moving across to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in Scotland would result in an easier ride for the SNP.
“What (Farage) risks doing here is letting the SNP in,” he said.
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“Because in key seats, a vote for Reform will simply let the SNP in the back door and I think people are becoming more and more aware of that, and the risk that they will wake up on July 5 with an SNP politician because Reform votes have allowed that to happen.”
Asked if he was “worried” about Farage’s party, he said a vote split is a “serious issue”.
“There’s not a single opinion poll that has got the Reform party anywhere close to winning a seat anywhere in Scotland, but they can help the SNP get in.”
It comes as Ross also conceded that the General Election campaign has been “very difficult”.
The Conservatives north and south of the border have been under fire in recent weeks over Ross’s decision to stand in the election in the stead of an ill colleague, the Prime Minister’s decision to leave the D-Day commemorations early and allegations that senior figures bet on the date of the election.
Ross announced his decision to stand in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat two weeks ago after former MP David Duguid was ruled out by party bosses over concerns about his health.
The announcement sparked a backlash, including briefings from inside the Scottish Tories to the media, which resulted in Mr Ross saying he would stand down as party leader after the election and would resign as an MSP if he wins the seat.
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