Tory MSPs are stuck with embattled leader Douglas Ross because there is no way they can sack him.
It can be revealed the power to dump Ross lies with party members, leaving the Holyrood group helpless.
One MSP said: “Douglas is like a cornered animal - nowhere to go given the recent Westminster polls - and not enjoying Holyrood.”
Fifteen per cent of Tory MPs can force a confidence vote in their Westminster leader, a mechanism that put pressure on Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
The earliest Liz Truss would have faced a vote was next year, but she quit on Thursday after feeling the heat from colleagues.
However, there is no mechanism available to Tory MSPs who want to force out Ross.
A contest is triggered if 1000 party members request an election in writing.
One party source said meeting this requirement is not “doable”, adding: “It is virtually impossible to remove a leader.”
An MSP said Ross would be “gone” if there was a secret ballot of MSPs.
Former leader Ruth Davidson stood down voluntarily in 2019, while successor Jackson Carlaw quit twelve months later after pressure from senior unelected Tories. Ross became leader despite never being elected by party members.
Criticism of Ross has mounted since he repeatedly changed his position on whether Johnson should resign as Prime Minister.
He also faced flak for supporting the Truss Government’s disastrous mini-budget that was later shredded.
His party’s poll ratings have slumped in the wake of Tory chaos at Westminster, leading to fears of a 1997-style wipeout in Scotland at the general election.
Ross responded to reports of plots to get rid of him by saying he would toast the new year with a whisky if he made it until then.
Labour MSP Neil Bibby said: “With one embattled Tory leader gone, all eyes will be on Douglas Ross now.
“No-one will forget that Douglas Ross cheered Truss on while she sowed chaos and threatened the very future of the UK.
“It’s no wonder his group are angling to get rid of him, but swapping round leaders isn’t enough when this entire Tory party is rotten to the core. We need a General Election and a Labour government now.”
SNP MSP Paul McLennan said: “After their constant denial of the democratic choice of the people of this country, the Holyrood Tories whining that they have no democratic route to achieve their political goal is so outrageous it’s an affront to decency.
“While Douglas Ross has been lamentable, with more flip-flops than a Spanish beach, changing leader will make no difference to the fortunes of the Tories in Scotland.
“The cast list of chancers, blowhards and ne’er-do-wells waiting in the wings offer nothing better than the hapless leader they are jostling to replace and only independence offers Scotland the opportunity to be rid of the Tories for good.”
A Scottish Tory spokesman said: “Douglas is totally focused on holding the SNP Government to account.”
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