Scottish Tories could slip below Labour to become THIRD largest party north of the border as they blame Boris's Partygate backlash for slump Tories wait to find out whether it has slipped below Labour in local elections Leader Douglas Ross said the result was 'very disappointing and challenging' He acknowledged that defeated candidates said Partygate was an issue By David Wilcock, Deputy Political Editor For Mailonline Published: 14:28 BST, 6 May 2022 | Updated: 15:15 BST, 6 May 2022 10 Viewcomments Scottish Conservatives turned on Boris Johnson today as the party hemorrhaged votes in the local elections, saying his Partygate antics had helped it lose seats. After a dismal night in council elections the party is waiting to find out whether it has slipped below Labour to become the third largest party in Scotland. The Conservative vote share across Scotland has dropped, with a number of wards seeing a fall of more than 10 per cent when compared to 2017. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said the result was 'very disappointing and challenging'. Ross - who had called for the PM to resign over breaking lockdown rules, but then gave him his backing over Ukraine - acknowledged that defeated candidates had said Partygate was an issue for voters. But he added: 'It doesn't look like voters are shifting to other parties, they're staying at home this time. Again we have to wait and see what happens in Scotland. 'General apathy at local council elections is a concern for all the parties but we will not be immune from some of the problems we have seen south of the border with voters deciding this is an election they can sit out.' Asked about Partygate, his colleague Miles Biggs, the shadow social justice secretary, said: 'You can't deny that and I think speaking to people yesterday they certainly weren't happy with the actions of the Prime Minster and his team.' Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said the result was 'very disappointing and challenging'. Asked about Partygate, his colleague Miles Biggs, the shadow social justice secretary, said: 'You can't deny that and I think speaking to people yesterday they certainly weren't happy with the actions of the Prime Minster and his team.' First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attends the annual royal garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh today Unlike in some places in the rest of the UK where votes were counted overnight, ballots are being tallied up in Scotland throughout Friday and the final results are due to be announced in the early evening. Earlier, senior figures in the Scottish Conservatives had told The Times they were expecting 'heavy losses' due to partygate. But former Tory MSP Adam Tomkins described that comment as 'nonsense'. He highlighted that Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross had backed Boris Johnson to remain in post at Number 10. On Twitter, Mr Tomkins said: 'Whatever today's results show Douglas Ross owns this, not Boris. 'It was Douglas who U-turned, Douglas who flipped, and Douglas who backed the PM. He and his team need to own the consequences, not pass the buck.' SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Scottish voters had 'sent a message' to Boris Johnson and his Conservatives. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Blackford said: 'The important story from Scotland is the fact that the Tories are being rejected. 'Their vote is down and I think what really is important today is that the voters have sent a message to Boris Johnson. 'I think there's two things that count; one is of course the cost-of-living crisis - more needs to be done, and the other issue is partygate. 'I think people in Scotland have made it very clear that they want no more of this from Boris Johnson and his Conservatives.' He added that voters had sent a 'very clear message' and 'we can celebrate the fact that the Tories have got the message that we expected'. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility