Jackson Carlaw has suggested his opponent in the Scottish Tory leadership contest lacks the ideas or support she needs to succeed Ruth Davidson.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr Carlaw said Michelle Ballantyne was the only member of the Tories' Shadow Cabinet at Holyrood never to submit a "single policy proposal."

With Ms Ballantyne failing to win any endorsements from Scottish Tory MSPs or MPs, he said in the same position he would have questioned whether he should continue.

Mr Carlaw, the party's interim leader, also dismissed as "nonsense" her claim in the Telegraph that the Scottish Tories lacked "vision and ambition" during the recent general election campaign he spearheaded.

In a withering rebuke, he said: "I'm always impressed by people who find the courage of their convictions after the event but have little to say about it beforehand."

But Ms Ballantyne hit back last night, accusing her opponent of "trying to undermine my campaign through secret recordings, leaks to the press and tall tales from the Shadow Cabinet room."

With Tory members starting to receive their ballot papers on their doorsteps, Mr Carlaw also used the wide-ranging interview to: