Longest-serving SNP MP brands election message 'unhelpful'

The SNP's longest-serving MP has distanced himself from the party's election message.

On Saturday Humza Yousaf called on members to "make history" by making Scotland "Tory free".

But Pete Wishart branded the message "unhelpful," adding that he would not use any "Tory-free rhetoric" in his campaign.

Nicola Sturgeon's former top advisor, Liz Lloyd, also described the claim as "a little confusing".

Mr Wishart, who has served as the MP for Perth and North Perthshire since 2001, said he would do "everything possible to ensure that the Tories are kept out of Perth and Kinross-shire" when voters go to the polls.

The first minister urged voters to "make history" by making Scotland "Tory free" in a speech at the party's "campaign council" event in Perth on Saturday.

The Scottish Conservatives hold seven out of Scotland's 59 seats at Westminster - the SNP have 43.

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser described the first minister's comments as "divisive and insulting".

And Mr Wishart told BBC Scotland News the onus was on the SNP to put forward their case in a way voters could get behind.

He said: "I just don't think it's very helpful.

"At the last election almost 20,000 people voted Tory in my constituency and they have a right to have their view and vote respected.

"I will be trying as much as possible to convince them to vote for me and put the case why Scotland should be an independent country."

Mr Fraser questioned Mr Wishart's "credibility," pointing to a tweet posted by Mr Wishart which appeared to show him repeating Mr Yousaf's line.

He said: "Humza Yousaf's divisive rhetoric is an insult to the hundreds of thousands of people who vote Scottish Conservative.

"He also knows it's not going to happen - in fact we're aiming to make gains from the SNP at the general election.

"It's interesting that the SNP's longest-serving MP is now disowning his leader's ugly rhetoric.

"But it's only been eight days since Pete Wishart trotted it out himself - so he has no credibility posing as a man of integrity."

'Difficult message'

Liz Lloyd, who served as Ms Sturgeon's advisor during her tenure as first minister, said Mr Yousaf's claim that the election was a "straight fight" between the SNP and the Conservatives would be "a difficult message" to sell on doorsteps in the central belt, where polls suggest Labour could make gains.

She told BBC Radio Scotland's The Sunday Show the SNP were looking to find a way to tackle Labour's growing prominence in Scotland without taking them "head on", as they would prefer a Labour Party in power at Westminster.

She added that it was "very difficult" for the SNP to find a message which would "cut through" when the debate is about who becomes prime minister.

"This is them feeling their way towards something," she said. "I'm not sure they've got there just yet".

Ms Lloyd added that Mr Yousaf was "irrepressibly positive" and had stopped the party's polling decline, adding that that factional fighting in the SNP has calmed down.

But she urged the party to push messages about the economy and the cost of living "consistently and constantly" and warned that the SNP was "getting swayed a little bit by what's in the news".

Mr Yousaf has said that independence will be "page one, line one" of the SNP's election manifesto, but Ms Lloyd said that independence support is "not going to shift at this election" and that the public wanted to know how Holyrood was going to deliver change with their current powers.

Yousaf continues to back Matheson

Meanwhile, Mr Yousaf said former health secretary Michael Matheson's job as an MSP was not at risk.

In his appearance on The Sunday Show, Mr Yousaf described Mr Matheson as a "decent person" after he was forced to step down from his role following months of pressure over a near-£11,000 data roaming bill racked up on his parliamentary iPad during a family holiday to Morocco.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) - the cross-party group of MSPs tasked with the running of parliament - last week concluded Mr Matheson had broken the code of conduct for members over his handling of the bill, and referred his case to Holyrood's standards, procedures and public appointments committee to consider sanctions.

Mr Yousaf defended Mr Matheson, who had left his health brief voluntarily. Mr Yousaf had decided not to sack him, despite pressure after it emerged that Mr Matheson initially used parliamentary expenses to pay the bill. Mr Matheson later agreed to cover it himself.

The first minister told the programme Mr Matheson "had made a mistake" but said he should not have to stand down from his role as an MSP.

"He's a decent person that made a mistake," he said.

"There are MSPs that have made mistakes and they've had to face the consequences of those mistakes.

"I've not heard Michael say anything other than he'll accept what those consequences are, and I'm sure he'll accept whatever the parliamentary committee decides and deliberates on."