Murdo Fraser sixth candidate for Scottish Tory leadership

Long-serving MSP Murdo Fraser has joined the Scottish Conservative leadership contest

Murdo Fraser has announced he will join the growing list of candidates bidding to replace Douglas Ross as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, the MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife said he would deliver "real change" after the membership had been let down by senior Tories - including Mr Ross.

Mr Fraser is the sixth candidate to enter the race, alongside former journalist Russell Findlay, ex-Olympic sprinter Brian Whittle, deputy party leader Meghan Gallacher, educations pokesperson Liam Kerr and co-convener of Holyrood’s LGBTI+ group Jamie Greene.

The contest is scheduled to finish by late September.

Mr Fraser said: "This party, our party, has let us all down. You, its members, were let down by Boris Johnson over Partygate, you were let down by Liz Truss' mini budget, you were let down by Rishi Sunak at D-Day and yes I'm sorry to say you were let down by Douglas Ross and his team.

"So now our party must change and change can't be continuity in a fancy wrapper."

Mr Fraser ran to lead the party in 2011, but lost out to Ruth Davidson.

At the time he had a radical platform, wanting the party to change its name and split from the UK Conservatives.

However, he has now changed his mind and said he wanted to unite the party, not divide it.

In an interview with The Scotsman, he said: "As leader, I would be active in promoting Scottish interests, not fearing to challenge Westminster colleagues if that were necessary.

"But I won’t be splitting the party or setting up a new one – my aim is to unite our party, not divide it.

"In any event, these are questions for the membership as whole, not the leader, and we have had too much top-down decision-making in the past."

Douglas Ross revealed he would quit as party leader during the general election campaign.

It came after he announced a U-turn on running for a seat at Westminster and was selected ahead of a colleague who had been ill in hospital.

The new leader will be confirmed before the UK party's successor to Rishi Sunak is announced on 2 November.