Tory leadership candidate Murdo Fraser said a crisis in membership leaves the biggest opposition group in a worse position than the Scottish Greens.
He highlighted a dwindling group of volunteers as part of his pitch to turn around party fortunes if he takes over from Douglas Ross, who quit in the general election.
“Reports would suggest that the membership of our party in Scotland has now shrunk to just 7,000,” he wrote on Tory website Conservative Home.
“To put that in context, that is lower than even the membership of the Scottish Greens.
“For a party which is the second-largest at Holyrood, and therefore the official opposition, that is simply not good enough.”
He said the shrinking membership was noticeable during the general election campaign when volunteers were called on to help.
‘UK party split’
“If we simply ask people to turn up and do what they are told, to give money, to deliver leaflets and knock on doors, and give them nothing in return, it is little wonder that numbers are drifting away,” he added.
He suggests giving members a say, reintroducing a senior position for volunteers, directly elected by the members.
Mr Fraser, an MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, is standing among six candidates.
Some of his opponents highlight his previous stance to distance the Scottish party from the UK group.
Mr Fraser says he is not proposing that change again, but wants an independent review of the party constitution which he said all candidates appeared to support.
Spooked by the previous policy, Aberdeen businessman Alan Massie said he won’t donate any more cash if Mr Fraser wins.
Former Stirling MP Lord Michael Forsyth, who was Scottish Secretary under John Major, is also opposed to the idea.
Tories are the second largest group in Holyrood but face a Labour surge going into the 2026 Scottish election.
Greens are the fourth largest party in parliament, ahead of the Lib Dems, and were in government with the SNP until the deal collapsed in spring.
The full list of candidates also includes Jamie Greene, Megan Gallacher, Brian Whittle, Liam Kerr and Russell Findlay.
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