Ian Blackford has said whoever becomes the next Prime Minister will make “‘Genghis Khan look like a moderate”.
A total of eight candidates remain in the running to become the next Conservative Party leader following Boris Johnson’s resignation last week.
The full list of candidates are Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, the SNP’s Westminster leader Mr Blackford said the leadership race was “quickly descending into a toxic race to the right”.
Ian Blackford
GB News
The eight candidates left in the race to become the next Tory leader
UK Parliament
He said: “The Tory leadership contest is quickly descending into a toxic race to the right and its clear that whoever wins that race, Scotland loses.
“The former chancellor has pledged to govern like Margaret thatcher, the current chancellor is threatening 20 percent cuts to the NHS and public services.
“And they’re all trying to outdo each other on an extreme Brexit, costing the economy billions.
“Is the real reason that the Prime Minister won’t endorse any of these awful candidates because whoever becomes the next Tory leader will make Genghis Khan look like a moderate.”
Tory MPs will have the chance to vote for the eight contenders vying to replace Boris Johnson, as balloting begins to find his successor.
Yesterday saw the field whittled down, with some high-profile casualties as the race to become Conservative leader intensifies.
Former health secretary Sajid Javid said he was pulling out having apparently failed to attract enough support, moments before chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, made the formal announcement in a Commons committee room.
Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that he was abandoning his bid and would be supporting Mr Sunak, the former chancellor.
