Senior Scottish Tory says idea of splitting from UK party should be 'revisited'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A senior Scottish Tory has said the party should "revisit" the idea of breaking away from the UK Conservatives.Liam Kerr said the upcoming leadership contest should look into "whether there is a need for a fundamentally reformed or even distinct Scottish centre-right party”.The Scottish Tories are set to choose a new leader after Douglas Ross announced he would resign after the general election.The party's justice spokesperson Russell Findlay is currently the frontrunner but no one has declared their candidacy yet.In the 2011 leadership contest Murdo Fraser ran on the ticket of breaking away from the Westminster party.

He lost to Ruth Davidson and is yet to say whether he wants to bring the plan back.But Kerr, the party's education spokesman, said the idea should be looked at again.He said: “The idea of a Scottish Conservative party fully detached from the UK brand was floated in the 2011 leadership contest. "There were pros and cons, and ultimately the membership rejected the idea. "But, 13 years on, with so much having happened politically, it is surely important that we revisit it as part of the current leadership process.”“Since the election and Douglas Ross’s resignation as leader, many Scottish Conservative MSPs have spoken about the need for a re-set, a new identity, indeed a distinct identity. "It seems from their pronouncements that there is a consensus for change; the debate seems to be about how much."Interestingly, none have followed the logical progression of these arguments: some form of Holyrood centre-right party focused solely and exclusively on matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament in which its MSPs sit. "In my view, each of the arguments for the status quo, reformed status quo or a separate party