Douglas Ross said the Tories are “coming for SNP seats” as the first full week of General Election campaigning is underway.

The Conservatives are expected to lose heavily to Labour in the UK-wide contest but the Scottish party leader is focusing his campaigning on opposing independence and the SNP in Scotland.

He said many seats are a straight contest between his party and the SNP.

Campaigning in Perthshire today, Ross said he wants voters to focus on the economy, schools and the NHS.

He said: “We’re here in John Swinney’s back yard to put him on notice that the Scottish Conservatives are coming for SNP seats like this one.

“Like so many seats across Scotland, this one is a straight contest between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP.

“In this election, the opportunity is there to finally end their independence demands for good.

“For more than a decade, ever since that ‘once-in-a-generation’ referendum, the SNP have focused only on independence at the expense of everything else.”

Ross said the focus on the next five years can be on creating jobs, reducing NHS waiting lists and investing in public services.

Meanwhile, John Swinney said voting SNP is the quickest way to unseat Tory MPs in Scotland.

He said: “We’ve had a disastrous Conservative Government inflicting austerity, Brexit and the cost of living crisis on Scotland - and the SNP are the challengers in every single Tory held constituency in Scotland. 
“Votes for the SNP are the quickest way to get rid of the Tory MPs and to get rid of the Tory government from Scotland. That’s the challenge we’ve got at the forthcoming Westminster election.”