Ruth Davidson: Voters don't trust Tory motives 25 January 2013 Last updated at 01:29 By Andrew Black Political reporter, BBC Scotland Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has said voters do not trust the motives of her party, as she seeks to boost its electoral fortunes. Ms Davidson said Scots understood the Tory message but, in too many cases, "they didn't like what they were hearing." Delivering a speech in Edinburgh, she will say she is proud of her party. But Ms Davidson will warn the Tories are letting themselves down if they keep ducking the problem. The Scottish Conservatives, a self-governing part of the UK party, have suffered declining fortunes since the 1997 UK election defeat. The party currently has 15 out of 129 MSPs and, despite being in government at Westminster, have only a single Scottish MP. Ms Davidson, who was elected Scottish Tory leader in November 2011, will say in her speech: "I'm proud of our past and I believe passionately in our future. Uncomfortable though it may be to admit, too many of our fellow Scots whose values we share simply don't trust our motives End Quote Ruth Davidson Scottish Conservative leader But to continue to duck the hard questions about our lack of electoral success would be to let ourselves down. She will say there is some truth to the argument from those within the party who argue that it has failed to explain its goals. Toxic brand But the leader will also argue the Tories' problems cannot purely be put down to "poor marketing," adding: "We need to admit something to ourselves - however hard it may be - that the Scottish public did indeed get our message, that they heard us very clearly. And in far too many cases they simply didn't like what they were hearing, or what we were offering. Ahead of the independence referendum, Ms Davidson - who campaigned for the leadership with a pledge to oppose further powers for Holyrood - will argue that the Scottish Conservatives as a party "struggled to accept" that the people of Scotland wanted a stronger voice. She will say: "Uncomfortable though it may be to admit, too many of our fellow Scots whose values we share simply don't trust our motives. When it comes to Westminster elections, they see us as London's party in Scotland not Scotland's party in London. When it comes to elections to the Scottish Parliament, they want to vote for a party that will put Scotland first, and too few truly believe that of us. To win the leadership, Ms Davidson, who says too many see her party as "a brake on the aspirations of Scotland and not a torch-bearer," saw off a challenge from the party's then deputy leader, Murdo Fraser. Mr Fraser, who was seen as the frontrunner, wanted to abolish the Scottish Conservatives - often described by critics as a "toxic brand" - in favour of a new centre-right party. At Holyrood, the Scottish Conservatives have also come under pressure from Labour and the SNP government, who have used controversial UK government welfare reforms and spending cuts to portray the Tories as uncaring.