SCOTTISH Conservatives leader Douglas Ross joined Renfrewshire North and West candidate Julie Pirone on the campaign trail at the weekend.

Mrs Pirone is hoping to win the seat previously occupied by Derek Mackay, who represented the SNP at Holyrood for a decade before standing down after it was revealed he had sent inappropriate messages to a schoolboy.

And, with just days to go before local voters head to the polls to elect their MSP, Mr Ross paid a visit to Renfrew on Saturday to show his support.

He said: “It was great to be out with Julie on the campaign trail in Renfrew as we get ever closer to polling day on Thursday.

“Voters in Renfrewshire North and West have been left without representation for over a year. By voting for Julie, they are guaranteeing a strong local voice who will be one hundred per cent focused on the area’s recovery from the pandemic.

“Julie is one of the party’s excellent new MSP candidates who I would be proud to have on my team in Parliament as we all focus on rebuilding Scotland.

“By voting for Julie on your constituency ballot and for the Scottish Conservatives on your peach party list vote, Renfrewshire North and West voters can stop an SNP majority, stop their push for indyref2 and ensure that Parliament focuses on recovery over a referendum.”

Mrs Pirone said it was "fantastic" to be joined by Mr Ross as she met voters.

“This campaign has undoubtedly been different, due to the restrictions in place, but it is clear voters here want to focus on our recovery, rather than another independence referendum," she added.

“I’ve already spent the last few months standing up for local people and communities on the issues that matter to them. I’d be honoured to build on that as Renfrewshire North and West’s next MSP as part of Douglas’ team of Scottish Conservative MSPs.

“Voters here can send a strong message on Thursday that they want to focus on day-to-day issues such as supporting pupils to catch up on lost learning, tackling the backlog in our health service and delivering fair funding for our councils.

“A vote for me on Thursday guarantees a one hundred per cent focus on rebuilding our communities, as does voting for the Scottish Conservatives on your peach party list vote.”

Also standing in Renfrewshire North and West are Johanna Baxter (Scottish Labour), Martin Bell (Scottish Family Party), Natalie Don (SNP) and Ross Stalker (Scottish Liberal Democrats).