The Scottish Tories are likely to begin a leadership contest to find Ruth Davidson’s successor within weeks if a general election is pushed back to the spring.

At an awayday in North Queensferry yesterday Lord McInnes of Kilwinning, the party director, sided with those who were pushing for a snap leadership vote.

The Times revealed last week that some Tory MSPs believed that a spring election would allow time to install a permanent leader. Jackson Carlaw had been due to remain interim leader until Britain left the EU but angered much of his front bench by reversing the party’s position to support a no-deal Brexit without consulting them.

Murdo Fraser, the party’s finance spokesman, spoke out about his opposition to a no-deal Brexit yesterday.