New Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has major challenges ahead - Ian Swanson

Russell Findlay is announced as new Scottish Conservatives leader at the Radisson Hotel in Edinburgh.

He's already had a hectic start in the role - recording a party political broadcast, meeting the King and addressing the UK Conservative conference in Birmingham, all in the first two days.

And now he has to reunite a divided party, deal with whatever result the UK Tory leadership contest throws up and get the Scottish Tories in shape for the next Holyrood elections in just 18 months' time.

His win, announced on Friday, was decisive - 2,565 votes as against 1,187 for Murdo Fraser and 403 for Meghan Gallacher - but insiders say that alone is not enough to bring the party back together after a surprisingly acrimonious contest. "It got really bitter and some MSPs were just not speaking to each other," says one source.

But Mr Findlay is expected to give an early sign of his desire for unity by handing shadow cabinet jobs to his defeated rivals and their backers.

The UK Tory leadership battle - currently playing out at the Conservative conference in Birmingham, which has been turned into a “beauty contest” for the four remaining contenders to succeed Rishi Sunak - could present another problem.

Many Tory MSPs are supporting Tom Tugendhat, regarded as the most moderate of the candidates, but the favourites at the moment appear to be the two most right-wing contenders, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch. A victory for either of them could leave Mr Findlay and his Holyrood colleagues once again having to defend policies which they do not necessarily agree with - or deciding to disown them and risk rows with the UK party.

But arguably the most important challenge of all for Mr Findlay is charting a new direction for the Scottish Tories. Their ‘No to indyref2’ strategy is no longer enough. And with the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections looming, time is short.

Once his shadow cabinet is in place, work will start on writing a new manifesto almost from scratch. He’ll be looking for eye-catching policies with voter appeal.

A Tory insider says: “Russell is likeable and has a good instinct for what the public is interested in. But he needs to establish a profile - people just don’t know who he is. He has a lot of potential, but he still has to prove himself.”