Russell Findlay has been elected as the new Scottish Conservative leader, winning a majority of votes in the first round.

He secured 2,565 votes, the party’s returning officer Leonard Wallace announced on Friday, with Murdo Fraser coming second with 1,187 and Meghan Gallacher third with 403 votes.

The turnout was 60%, with Mr Wallace announcing the party has just shy of 7,000 members – 4,155 of whom voted in the leadership contest.

Addressing members immediately after his win was announced, Mr Findlay – who was elected to Holyrood in 2021 after decades working as an investigative journalist – urged the party to come together following a bruising period.

He said: “Everyone must come together as one united team.

“Let us start the hard work right now to win back public trust.

“I want to deliver the message to people across Scotland who do not feel that anyone represents them, who are scunnered by the divisiveness and fringe obsessions of the Scottish Parliament, who feel let down and failed by politicians of every single party, including ours, who think politicians are all the same.

“I feel that way – I get it, but I’m not the same.”