DOUGLAS Ross and Ruth Davidson have sent out letters “begging”people to give money to the Conservatives’ Holyrood campaign fund. The new Scottish Tory chief and the party’s boss in Holyrood have written to voters – including some in Nicola Sturgeon’s Glasgow Southside Constituency – asking for cash to fight next year’s election.

The letter, signed by the duo, stated that they would be challenging the SNP on its record in government “right up until polling day next May”.

It then added, in bold: “We are up for this fight. But we can’t do it alone - we need your help. Bluntly, we need to raise the funds needed to compete with the SNP across every seat in Scotland. They have the full power of the Scottish Government to back them up. We have you.”

It added, though not in bold: “So we’re asking for your help. Any donation you can make, no matter how large or small, would be of huge assistance as we take our fight to the SNP.”

The letter went on to say that “Scotland deserves better than this worn-out and divisive SNP Government” and that the Scottish Conservatives would “provide Scotland with the credible and competent alternative to the SNP”.

It stressed, in bold: “Your donation, if you are able to make one, will help ensure Scotland has that credible, competent alternative”.

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The letters also contained forms giving the Scottish Conservatives’ campaign bank account details and instructions about how to send them money by cheque, bank transfer or online. Slips gave options to give £30, £60, £100, £200 or another amount.

The National obtained the letter which was sent out late last week.

“The Tories were begging for cash. It came across that they were in an state of panic,” said the recipient, who lives in the First Minister’s constituency. “I’m certainly not a Tory member or even a supporter. I voted Yes in 2014, Remain in 2016. I’ve no idea why they are asking me for money. It smacks of desperation. I usually vote SNP and before that Labour. In the past I’ve received campaign materials from al the parties including the Tories, but this is the first one asking for money.”

The National:

Ross was appointed as the Scottish Conservative leader last month without a contest after the sudden resignation in July of Jackson Carlaw following a coup. Unveiling his front bench team days later he named Davidson as leader of the party’s Holyrood group. Davidson is currently MSP for Edinburgh Central. She will step down from Holyrood in March to take up a seat in the House of Lords, where she will become Baroness Davidson.

A series of polls have put the SNP is on course for an unprecedented majority at Holyrood at the election in May next year. These included a YouGov survey last month which found that 57% of voters in Scotland planned to back the SNP in Spring 2021 – an increase of three percentage points from YouGov’s last survey in April.

The Scottish Tories declined to comment on the letter.