•  Former Scottish Conservative leader says unionist voters can deliver ‘hard lesson that Scotland has moved on’ from nationalists
• Claims First Minister John Swinney ‘knows the game is up’ for his independence push
• New poll suggests that the SNP is on course to fall to just 10 seats

Scots voters should seize their chance to give the SNP a ‘historic hammering’ in tomorrow’s General Election, Ruth Davidson has said.

The former Scottish Conservative leader told voters in key battleground seats that they can give John Swinney and the SNP a ‘hard lesson that Scotland has moved on’ by ensuring they suffer a bruising defeat.

In an unprecedented plea aimed at disgruntled Tory supporters and pro-Union voters, she said they are not really voting to decide who gets the keys to Downing Street as polls indicate the outcome of the election is already ‘settled’.

She urged them to instead rally behind Tory candidates in a dozen seats where they are best-placed to defeat the SNP.

It comes as Rishi Sunak yesterday warned voters that there are only ‘48 hours to stop a Starmer supermajority’.

The parties will embark on a final full day of campaigning tomorrow before polling stations open on Thursday morning.

The Scottish Tories have also issued a warning that even a small number of votes for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party could result in ‘big wins for the SNP’.

Writing in the Mail, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links said Scots voters can ‘guarantee the SNP are sent packing in seats up and down the country’ and that John Swinney ‘knows the game is up’ for his independence push.

Highlighting a dozen seats where it is a straight fight between the Tories and the SNP, she said: ‘If you vote Scottish Conservative in those key seats, the SNP could effectively be finished for a generation. We could deal them a defeat that they can’t brush off.

‘That’s what is at stake in this election. Not just a humbling, but ending the independence debate for good, so we can all move forward and focus on the things that really matter most.

‘If we vote together to achieve that, the damage to the SNP would be devastating. The Scottish Conservatives have already seen off Nicola Sturgeon and removed Humza Yousaf from office. If you back your local Scottish Conservative, there could be a treble in the works. John Swinney’s return from retirement could end in a hard lesson that Scotland has moved on.

‘These head-to-head seats are the ones that really matter the most in Scotland. They’re the most important because the results in these crucial constituencies will be what decides if the SNP have just a bad night or if they’re on the receiving end of a historic hammering.’

A new UK-wide MRP poll by Survation showed that the SNP is on course to fall to just 10 seats.

But it also showed a tiny gap between the Tories and the SNP in a series of key seats, such as West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and Dumfries and Galloway, showing a small number of votes could sway these constituencies.

The Scottish Conservative campaign has been heavily focused on the 12 key battleground seats where party strategists believe they can defeat the SNP.

They want to hold six existing seats including the redrawn Aberdeenshire North and Moray seat where outgoing current leader Douglas Ross is standing, the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk seat currently held by Scotland Office Minister John Lamont, and the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine seat held by nuclear and renewables minister Andrew Bowie.

Key Tory targets currently held by the SNP include Richard Thomson’s Gordon and Buchan seat, the Angus and Perthshire Glens constituency currently held by Dave Doogan, and the Perth and Kinross-shire constituency of the SNP’s longest-serving MP Pete Wishart.

The final campaigning day will be today focused on Gordon and Buchan, where candidate Harriet Cross is looking to defeat Mr Thomson.

Recent polling has suggested that Reform UK could win between six per cent and eight per cent of the vote share in Scotland - which could hand the key Tory target seats to the SNP.

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: ‘Many seats in Scotland are a straight contest between the SNP and Scottish Conservatives.

‘In those key seats, no other party can win. Reform, Labour and the Lib Dems are simply too far behind. Even a small number of votes for Reform could lead to big wins for the SNP.

‘The opportunity is within our grasp to hand the SNP their worst election defeat in more than a decade, but just a few people choosing to vote Reform could put all that at risk.

‘In key seats up and down Scotland, only a vote for the Scottish Conservatives can beat the SNP and get the focus onto the issues that really matter to you.’

 

Tory strategists believe Ms Davidson can appeal to pro-UK voters who want to ‘send a message’ to the Tory-led UK Government but are also concerned about the prospect of SNP victories.

A Scottish Tory source said: ‘It is razor-thin everywhere, that’s why Ruth is launching this appeal: to persuade people who may sit at home and not go to the polls this time, or vote for other parties like Reform.

‘It is so tight and there really is a risk to these seats if people stay at home or vote Reform.’

In her article, Ms Davidson says that every single vote will matter in the 12 key seats, and tells disgruntled voters: ‘I know it might mean holding your nose and voting for a party that has frustrated you or even made you angry at times.

‘Believe me, I understand that. There are times I feel the same way. If you’ve got reservations, just remember the difference your vote can make.’

She added: ‘For weeks now, the polls have shown the most likely outcome is a UK Labour government with a sizeable majority.

‘So in the key seats in Scotland where it’s a straight choice between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP, the polls suggest you’re not really voting to decide who forms the government or who gets the keys to Downing Street. Poll after poll already says the outcome is settled.’

At an election discussion hosted by the Reform Scotland think-tank, Trade Minister Lord Malcolm Offord said there has been ‘disillusionment’ among voters about the state of all the parties.

He said: ‘I’ve been out and about myself doing campaigning and whether I’m talking to Labour voters or Conservative voters or SNP voters there is a general sort of disillusionment with the current state of the parties. They feel like they are not getting their priorities met.’

At the same event, Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: ‘I’ve not felt the anger about the SNP that I have in this campaign for some time.

‘There was a bit post the Brexit referendum when Nicola went a bit nuts and arguing for independence straight away again. There was a lot of anger at that time but this is more than that. So I think the tactical voting this time round will be significant.’

In an open letter to voters, SNP leader Mr Swinney said: ‘Scotland has suffered enough over the last fourteen years from decisions made in London that weren’t in our best interests.

‘Only the SNP can be trusted to stand up for Scotland’s interests and protect Scotland’s values at Westminster.’

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