DOUGLAS Ross has been urged to quit as an MSP as he apparently sees Holyrood as "second best" to Westminster.
The outgoing Scottish Tory leader has seen his party descend into chaos after reports that he secretly plotted to return to Westminster more than a year ago, despite publicly insisting he would remain at Holyrood.
SNP MP Graham Leadbitter, who ultimately won the Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey where Ross was aiming to stand, has said he should quit as an MSP for "putting naked self-interest before constituency interests".
It comes after The Telegraph reported that Ross met with Kathleen Robertson, who was the Tory General Election candidate, in July 2023 to ask if he could replace her.
The newspaper reports sources allege he told Robertson, who is the leader of Moray Council, that his “heart was in Westminster, not Holyrood”.
It claims she refused the request despite being promised selection as a Holyrood candidate in 2026. Ross has insisted he was actually checking if Robertson was "committed".
He later announced his candidacy in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, facing criticism for his U-turn and then further attack after former MP David Duguid said he was “deselected” from the seat the night before the announcement due to ill health.
He lost the seat to the SNP on July 4 and now faces calls to resign from Holyrood, where he is a Highlands and Islands MSP, as well as Scottish Tory leader.
Leadbitter said: “If Douglas Ross’s heart isn’t in Holyrood he should resign.
“His bid to retain a seat at Westminster included a specific promise he would resign as an MSP if he was successful – it’s clear he’s neither happy nor focused on the job at Holyrood.
“Nor should a job as an MSP ever be seen as second best or as simply a back-up. This sorry saga has, again, put the Tories’ contempt for Scotland’s Parliament under the spotlight.
“People across the Highlands and islands deserve an MSP who is working for them, not one who’s putting naked self-interest before constituency interests.
“Secret plots and Tory internal drama is so far down the list of priorities for people in this constituency, especially when they revolve around which of Douglas Ross’s numerous jobs he decides one moment he wants to keep.”
The Telegraph article also reported that Ross told Robertson he wanted Scottish Tory leadership candidate Russell Findlay – who is one of six vying for the job – to replace him as Holyrood leader if he won the seat at Westminster.
The claims have plunged the party's leadership contest into chaos, with four of the six candidates calling for it to be paused due to the "disturbing" allegations.
