Here in Scotlandshire, the Borders MSP John Lamont has resigned in order to stand for the equivalent seat in the Westminster election. This seat is one of the most marginal seats in Scotland (Nat majority in 2015 about 350) and the Tories should pick this one up at the very least.
Lamont's decision to resign now, and not after the election, can only be an expression of his confidence at winning. As the local man I guess he should know.
It also means there will be a Holyrood by election some time this summer, in a seat the Tories can expect to hold. A standalone Tory win at Holyrood will bring yet more bad headlines for Nippy and the Nats. Which I'm quite sure didn't enter into the Tories' calculations at all.
