Tory MSPs 'dumped' by party

Keith Harding and Lyndsay McIntosh are MSPs

Two Conservative MSPs have been left with little chance of being re-elected after the party chose its candidates for next year's Scottish Parliament elections.

Keith Harding and Lyndsay McIntosh were elected to Holyrood through the top-up regional lists.

The MSPs had topped the lists for their respective areas at the 1999 elections.

However, an internal ballot of party members has left Mr Harding - the Tory local government spokesman at Holyrood - in fifth place on the Mid-Scotland and Fife list.

On a personal level I regret and share their disappointment that they haven't come higher in the rankings

Party leader David McLetchie

Ms McIntosh was ranked fourth on the list for Central Scotland, where she has been the sole Tory MSP since the last election.

Their positions mean they are unlikely to be re-elected in the May 2003 poll.

The party's Scottish leader David McLetchie said internal elections would always leave some people disappointed.

"Obviously both Lyndsay and Keith are valued members of my team in the parliament," he said.

"They contributed a great deal to the Conservative group in their spokesman roles and on a personal level I regret and share their disappointment that they haven't come higher in the rankings."

Grassroots members

Mr McLetchie was placed top of the party's regional list for the Lothians, followed by justice spokesman Lord James Douglas Hamilton.

The lists for the eight parliamentary regions were chosen by the votes of 8,500 grassroots members, representing about 53% of the party.

Bill Aitken took the top spot on the list for Glasgow, where he has been the party's sole MSP since 1999.

Ashraf Anjum came third in Glasgow

Ashraf Anjum, who was aiming to become the party's first Asian member of the Scottish Parliament, was ranked third.

The party denied last month that rules were broken by the businessman, who sparked controversy when more than 100 of his supporrters rushed to join the party.

Former councillor Margaret Mitchell replaced Ms McIntosh in Central Region's top slot.

Two sitting MSPs - Murdo Fraser and education spokesman Brian Monteith - took the top two places in Mid-Scotland and Fife.

The top four places in the South of Scotland, where four Tories were elected in 1999, went to sitting MSPs Alex Fergusson, Phil Gallie, David Mundell and John Scott - the party's only member to be elected in a first-past-the-post seat.

Top rankings

Deputy Presiding Officer Murray Tosh has switched to the West of Scotland list, where he took the number two place vacated by John Young.

Annabel Goldie, the party's deputy leader, kept her top place in the region, which returned two Tories four years ago.

Sitting MSPs Jamie McGrigor and Mary Scanlon retained their top rankings in the Highlands and Islands.

In North East Scotland, an area with three Tory MSPs, David Davidson and Alex Johnstone, were ranked first and second.

MSP Ben Wallace is quitting Holyrood to fight for a Westminster seat, and third place has been taken by Nanette Milne, a hospital consultant from Aberdeen.