THE Scottish Tories have downgraded their flagship annual conference to an internal party gathering, the Sunday Herald has learned.

Prime Minister Theresa May had been scheduled to address a glitzy weekend long conference in Aberdeen last month.

The event had been billed as a celebration of the Scottish Tories increasing their representation at Westminster from one to 13 seats in last year's General Election.

However, the conference at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre was cancelled due to the extreme weather in the first weekend of March.

Instead the party is staging an annual general meeting and convention at Perth racecourse on June 2nd.

The event runs for less than six hours and only a handful of politicians and party grandees are scheduled to speak at it.

May is not speaking at the event.

An agenda sent to eligible Tory party members, those of three months standing, includes an invite to a "fork buffet lunch.

UK Tory chairman Brandon Lewis is hosting the lunch, which costs £20 for a ticket.

The speakers at the event are Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, Scottish secretary David Mundell and MEP Nosheena Mobarik.

Tory policy convenor Donald Cameron - an MSP for the Highlands and Islands - is also hosting a session.

There is also a report from conference convenor Richard Wilkinson.

Opponents said the decision to downsize the conference showed the Tories had no credibility in Scotland, despite its status as the second biggest group at Holyrood.

SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said: "It's a pathetic excuse for a conference as you would have thought that any party that masquerades as the official opposition could muster a better event than that."

Labour MSP Neil Findlay said it also reflected the unpopularity of controversial Tory policies on welfare and immigration.

He said: "The Tory conference has been reduced to a small group of people locked in a room talking to each other.

"Noone from the real world will go anywhere near it and understandably so as they are the nasty party of the rape clause, food bank growth and the Windrush scandal.

"Why would anyone want to associate themselves with such divisive policies."

The Scottish Tories cancelled their conference in March, amid safety concerns.

In an email, dated March 1st, to conference passholders, Mark McInnes, director of the party in Scotland, said: "We cannot allow our conference to put any attendee at risk."

McInnes added: "We will of course be in touch with everyone next week with regard to the planning of a subsequent replacement event."

Last night, a Scottish Tory spokesman added: "The decision to cancel the March conference - during a red weather warning - was taken for the safety of our members.

"Venues and itineraries of politicians must be organised months in advance.

"Our Perth event will leave Labour and the electorate in no doubt - the Scottish Conservatives are the only credible alternative to the SNP in Scotland."

Scottish Labour held a full conference at Dundee in March.

The SNP's event is taking place in Aberdeen on 8th June and 9th June 9th.