Humza Yousaf is treating voters with “open contempt” with his “divisive” call to make Scotland “Tory free”, Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross has claimed.

Mr Ross was commenting on remarks by the SNP leader and First Minister at a meeting of activists in Perth at the weekend.

Mr Humza was implicitly rebuked by Pete Wishart, the SNP‘s longest-serving MP, who yesterday said he would not use the “Tory free” message in the upcoming general election campaign.

At the start of the year, Mr Yousaf said the upcoming election is the chance to make Scotland Tory-free and, addressing the SNP‘s campaign council on Saturday, used the expression “Tory free” numerous times.

However, Mr Ross said: “These insulting comments demonstrate the SNP‘s open contempt for the almost 700,000 Scots who voted Scottish Conservative at the last election.

“Humza Yousaf’s divisive rhetoric shows why we are asking pro-UK voters to vote together for the Scottish Conservatives.

“If we unite once more, we can beat the SNP and end their campaign to divide Scotland for good.”

Mr Ross added: “The one thing Humza Yousaf is correct about is that in many seats up and down Scotland, the election will be a straight fight between the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives. He should suffer at the ballot box for pushing such divisive language.

“We are calling for voters in those constituencies who are sick and tired of Humza Yousaf spreading division to back the local Scottish Conservative candidate so we can defeat the SNP and get the focus back on Scotland’s real priorities, such as fixing our public services.”

With Rishi Sunak likely to go the country in the autumn, the SNP has set its sights on wiping out the Conservatives in Scotland, aiming to win all seven of the seats they currently hold north of the border.

Polling analysts have said the SNP faces a challenge from Labour north of the border and in October the pro-independence party lost a by-election race in Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

At the last general election, the SNP won 48 out of 59 Scottish seats.

Earlier today, the SNP‘s independence minister Jamie Hepburn defended his party leader’s remarks as “clear and straightforward”.

Asked on the BBC‘s Good Morning Scotland radio programme whether the rhetoric is unravelling, he said: “I don’t think so, I think it’s a very clear and straightforward message.”

Mr Hepburn said: “It’s time for them to go and I think it’s a very clear and straightforward message.

“We know that in most seats the battle is a direct one between the SNP and the Tories.

“People want the Tories to go, we have the chance to get rid of Tory MPs in Scotland and make Scotland Tory free, and the way to do that is by voting SNP.”

He added: “I think if we look at the opinion polls, people are already coming to the conclusion that the Tories‘ time is up and if people want to get rid of the Tories, as seems to be the case from the opinion polls, and that’s certainly that’s the sense I get on the doorsteps, then it is a very straightforward proposition.”

Mr Wishart – the party’s Perth and North Perthshire MP since 2001 – insisted he would not be using the Tory free messaging.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Much as I will be doing everything possible to ensure that the Tories are kept out of Perth and Kinross-shire I won’t be using this ‘Tory free’ rhetoric as part of my campaign.”

Nevertheless, the Scottish Tories pointed out Mr Wishart had already used the phrase in a post on X just over a week ago.