Douglas Ross has branded a Holyrood debate on Scottish independence as "completely bonkers".
The Scottish Conservatives leader attempted a comeback speech in Edinburgh today after a disastrous 2022 for his party.
He admitted "political turbulence in London over the last year" caused "profound difficulties", after two Tory prime ministers were forced to resign in disgrace.
Ross himself was pilloried after he initially supported calls for Boris Johnson to quit Downing Street only to perform a sudden U-turn - leading to claims he had the "backbone of a jellyfish".
But he offered no regrets for his flip-flopping and insisted his party remained the only real opposition to the SNP in Scotland.
The Tory MP also hit out at the Scottish Government for using the first scheduled Holyrood debate of 2023 to discuss independence.
It comes after Keir Starmer used a speech in London yesterday to claim the "Westminster system is part of the problem" in a pitch to Scots voters who support ending the Union. The Labour leader had said that people voted for independence because they wanted "control over their lives and their community."
The Record asked Ross if he understood why many Scots had voted for independence in 2014. He said: "Yes, I do and I also understand why 55 per cent of people voted against"
He added: "Right now, I don't see that as a priority for people. If we are looking at 2023, and challenges that lie ahead, we're starting right now with a crisis in our NHS. We know there is the potential for our education system to suffer as a result of strike action. We know there is a global cost-of-living crisis.
"We don't know what's going to happen in Ukraine or the remainder of the year. We know that public services are struggling and need more support.
"Yet the first debate we are having in Holyrood is on independence? That's the first thing the SNP/Green Government think is important speak about in the parliament just down the road next week. It is completely bonkers, absolutely ridiculous. It's not a priority for me and it's not a priority for my party."
Earlier, Ross had accused Scottish Labour of playing for "Team Sturgeon" after the party supported the Scottish Government's gender recognition reforms and hate crime bill.
Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said: "It is no wonder that Douglas Ross doesn't want to talk about independence. He knows that it would give us the best possible chance to finally move on from the failed economic vision and policies of the cruel and incompetent Tory government that he supports and that has done so much damage.
"The Tories may claim that independence is not a priority, but they are terrified of allowing the people of Scotland our democratic right to have our say. Independence is not just a question of where decisions should be made, it is also a question of what kind of society we want to build.
"The Scotland I want us to see is a progressive one that stands for workers' rights and environmental justice. This is a stark contrast from the cuts, chaos and xenophobia being spread by Downing Street."
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