A CALL has been made for Ruth Davidson to investigate the growing scandal around the Scottish Tories’ candidate selection, after the party was forced to suspend several allegedly racist candidates and apologise for a slew of others.

The demand has been made by SNP MSP Humza Yousaf, who claims party leader Davidson has allowed her party to become Scotland’s Ukip.

The Tory local election campaign has been overshadowed by the scandal, with three candidates suspended for xenophobic and anti-Muslim online outbursts.

However, Ken MacBrayne, who also posted a series of violent rants directed at First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, remains on the ballot paper as a Tory.

The party has been forced to apologise for a host of other candidates who joked about sexual assault, said the poor shouldn’t have children and shared content from far-right groups.

“Ruth Davidson has allowed her party to become Scotland’s Ukip – up and down the country her party have nominated a ragtag band of racists and extreme right-wingers to run our local services,” said Yousaf.

“One or two rogue outbursts can maybe be explained away, but it is clear that this is completely endemic.

“Ruth Davidson must investigate why the party has nominated so many candidates who’re completely unfit to hold public office.

“With three candidates suspended for anti-Muslim outbursts and apologies issued for a whole host of others, the true nature of Ruth Davidson’s Tories has been exposed.”

The candidates suspended by the Tories include George McIntyre, who said he was “sick to the back teeth” of “whinging” Muslims, adding: “It’s time for our councillors to man up and tell them to sod off”.

Also suspended is Roxana Iancu, who, after the Nice attack that killed 86 people, wrote: “The French brought this on themselves. They supported the Muslims.”

She added that Angela Markel should “hang in the attic” after the Berlin Christmas market attack in which 12 people died.

MacBrayne was suspended after sharing extreme right-wing propaganda which said immigration to Europe would lead to “the most bloodthirsty war in human history” with “millions of European women raped or forced to convert to Islam”.

Tory candidates still standing include Ian James in Perth & Kinross, who called Nicola Sturgeon a “poison dwarf”; Robin Traquair in Midlothian, who sent a tweet which suggested the Queen wanted James Bond to assassinate Nicola Sturgeon; and Ron McKail in Aberdeenshire, who shared posts from far-right political party Britain First.

Renfrewshire candidate Neill Graham has denied being a member or supporter of the far-right British National Party after his contact details were found in a leaked database.

German-born Reiner Luyken, in Highland, came under fire for comparing the SNP to the Nazis while Fergus MacKenzie, also Highland, dressed up as Donald Trump and joked about groping women.

Donald Gatt in Moray said the poor “shouldn’t have kids" and called for the repeal of gun laws, while Will Wilson shared Britain First content.

Colin McGavigan, in Clydesdale, described carers as “the great unwashed”; Kathleen Leslie, in Fife, called Nicola Sturgeon a “drooling hag”; while former Ukip candidates Euan Blockley and Paul Henke are standing for the Tories in Glasgow and Bannockburn respectively.

Trevor Douglas, in North Lanarkshire, wrote on his Facebook page that Nigel Farage is “the man”, and shared numerous Ukip posts.

He also stated: “Serbia can go back to selling white kids to slave traders”.