Three candidates – Russell Findlay, Meghan Gallacher and Murdo Fraser – vie for top job in contest ending on Friday

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“We’ve used opposition to independence as a crutch,” says Shane Painter, the Scottish Tories’ youngest candidate in the recent, disastrous general election.

“People are fed-up hearing about the constitution,” he says. “They want to know what we’ll do about farming, housing, oil and gas.”