Maryfield by-election

Dundee Conservatives news release

 

Scottish Conservatives in Dundee have pledged to build on the Maryfield by-election result to boost the party's fortunes at the ballot box in May.  The Tories increased their share of the vote by more than 3% while Labour's vote collapsed by 13% and the Lib Dems also dropped off the 2012 total.

 

The result reflects national polling which has shown continually that the real battle in the Holyrood election will be between the Scottish Conservatives and Labour for second place.  Leader Ruth Davidson has said that the party will stand against any plans for a second referendum and put forward a positive vision for the future of the country with low taxes, more powers for school leaders and increased investment in our NHS in line with England.

 

 Scottish Conservative candidate for Dundee City East, Bill Bowman, said: "We take positives from the increase in our share of the vote, which reflects a pattern we are seeing of a growing support for the Scottish Conservatives to be the main opposition to hold the SNP to account.

 

 "We are seeing swingeing cuts to local authority budgets, an obsession with another independence referendum and internal convulsions over tax policy within the SNP. Labour, meanwhile, are imploding. 

 

 "The Scottish Conservatives stand ready to fight for the two million people who voted No and to work to repair the damage that has been done in our education and health sectors.

 

"Spending on the NHS must be brought into line with that in England - we have seen a real terms increase of just over 1% in Scotland compared with nearly 7% south of the border. Similarly, our call to give more power to school leaders, who are best placed to make decisions on education, would be one way of improving the current system."