A large crowd of noisy protesters gathered outside the Tory leadership hustings tonight shouting “Tories out” and calling Conservatives “scum”.
Saltire flags and a “TORY SCUM OUT” banner bedecked security railings that a handful of protesters were filmed briefly pushing past, before security closed the gap.
Tory MP and attendee Andrew Bowie, who attended the debate in Perth - the only one in Scotland before the new PM is elected - claimed there were “eggs being thrown” and “spitting at pensioners”.
He tweeted: “Good to see Nicola Sturgeon’s civic and joyous nationalism in action in Perth tonight.”
SNP MP David Linden replied: “These morons don’t speak for me or my party.
"We condemn their behaviour utterly and without equivocation.”
Banners and placards also said “no ifs, no buts, no cruel Tory cuts”, and “British governments - always robbing the needy to profit the greedy”.
The Scottish Daily Express quoted an eyewitness as saying: "The atmosphere and protestors are very lively and constantly shouting Tory scum.
"Eggs are being thrown at people entering the venue and at several journalists.There is a significant police presence (which is no surprise given how the hustings have been received)."
Bloomberg reporter Ellen Milligan also tweeted: “Tory party members have been egged walking into hustings in Perth, Scotland this evening.”
The two Tory leadership contenders both promised greater scrutiny of the Scottish Government ahead of the hustings.
Liz Truss, the favourite in the race, committed to get "Scotland's economy moving", and vowed to give Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) special legal protection, allowing them to be more outspoken in Holyrood.
Rishi Sunak promised Scottish civil servants would face greater scrutiny from Westminster, while UK ministers will be required to be more visible north of the border.
But Mr Sunak dodged completely ruling out a second Scottish independence referendum - instead saying: “I can’t imagine the circumstances in which I would”.
He added: “We live in a union which is of course there by consent and by democracy and I accept that.
"But I just don’t think anybody thinks now or anytime in the near future is remotely the time to focus on this.”
Ms Truss was more forceful saying to huge cheers she would “ignore” calls for a referendum. She added: “If I am elected as Prime Minister I will not allow another independence referendum”.
Vicious blue-on-blue between the two PM candidates deepened as Rishi Sunak branded Liz Truss’s plans a “moral failure”.
Focusing on a National Insurance cut would give minimum-wage workers “about a quid a week” and pensioners “precisely zero”, and mean “millions of people are at the risk of being tipped into destitution” he said.
He added: “I think it would be a moral failure and I don't think the British people would ever forgive us and as Prime Minister, I would not let that happen at all."
Rishi Sunak ruled out freezing the energy bills price cap like Keir Starmer. He said “I don’t think that’s the right approach” and “my plan is the right plan.”
Told by a Tory hustings host “if you don’t freeze the energy cap you’re going to freeze the poor”, he stuck by his plan to cut £200 of VAT from bills and top-up benefit claimants’ and pensioners’ payments.
Liz Truss also dismissed Labour plans to freeze the energy cap until April, attacking “sticking plasters on the problem”.
The audience of Scottish Tory members was more supportive than the protesters - but not always by a long way.
One asked Mr Sunak: "Will you rethink your plan to send the wretched illegal immigrants to Rwanda?
"It is inhuman, inhumane and instead will you negotiate with the French to tackle the problem where it really begins and that’s with illegal traffickers."
Mr Sunak replied: “With the greatest respect, I'm going to have to say I disagree with you.”
Liz Truss tonight guaranteed she will raise pensions by around 9-10% in April, returning to the broken Tory manifesto pledge. She told the Perth hustings: "I won’t fudge the figures, I’m fully committed to the triple lock, which gives the highest rate."
But she raised a question mark over when she would return to spending 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid, another manifesto pledge.
The government previously said it would return to 0.7% in 2024 or later. But Ms Truss said: “At present it is not economically affordable. I will see what the position is and when we are able to afford it we will do it and we’re committed to that under legislation.”
Ms Truss said Boris Johnson was "entitled" to go on holiday during the cost of living crisis and said: “I don’t agree that Boris Johnson misled Parliament. Boris did a great job as Prime Minister.”
Ms Truss - widely tipped to win the race - was at one point told by a Tory member: "Good evening, Madam Prime Minister." She grinned, held up her hands and said: "Please don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t let me get ahead of myself."
She said No10 under her would not be "Presidential", promising to appoint "competent people" - including Rishi Sunak in a brief break from blue-on-blue. She said: “I will want to appoint a Cabinet of all the best talents right across the Conservative Party, including Rishi Sunak, if I am successful.”
Ms Truss, who lived in Paisley, said she had a "very Scottish accent" as a child but refused to imitate it, joking: “I want these people to vote for me."
