Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross is facing a rebellion after one of his MSPs demanded the resignation of Boris Johnson over partygate.
Former sprinter Brian Whittle said the Prime Minister’s actions had allowed the SNP/Green Government to mask their own failures.
The UK Government yesterday confirmed the PM would be issued with a fine after attending a Downing Street party during lockdown.
Although Ross had called for Johnson to quit earlier this year, he performed a u-turn last year and is now calling on the PM to stay.
The MSP, who was branded ‘spineless’ over the rethink, said: “I've made very clear, in the middle of war in Europe, when Vladimir Putin is committing war crimes and the UK is Ukraine's biggest ally, as President Zelensky said at the weekend, it wouldn't be right to remove the Prime Minister at this time.
“It would destabilise the UK Government when we need to be united in the face of Russian aggression and the murdering of innocent Ukrainians."
However, his predecessor Ruth Davidson contradicted him by calling on Johnson to go and Whittle, a South Scotland MSP, has also openly defied Ross.
He said: “Vladimir Putin’s brutal assault on Ukraine has rightly been the focus of the UK Government in recent weeks. However, the seriousness of the actions of Boris Johnson and others in Downing Street during lockdown hasn’t diminished.
“When news of the lockdown parties first emerged, I said that the Prime Minister should hold himself accountable and resign. My view on that hasn’t changed.
“Here in Scotland Boris Johnson’s actions have made it far too easy for the SNP to conceal behind a mask of outrage their own failures in government, from the crisis in the NHS to the hundreds of millions wasted on botched ferry deals.
“Leadership without accountability is no leadership at all. Boris Johnson should step down and allow a leadership election to take place by the end of the summer so we can put this issue to rest and move on.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “The civil war in the Tory party is getting more serious – with MSPs now breaking ranks with Douglas Ross and calling on the Prime Minister to go.
“With party grandees such as Ruth Davidson and serving MSPs such as Brian Whittle now calling for the Prime Minister to go, it is clear that Douglas Ross has got it wrong and has lost control of his party.
“No right-thinking person who is concerned with the rule of law and the state of the Union can now stand with this Prime Minister and his fair-weather friend Douglas Ross.
“The Scottish Tory party is now collapsing before our very eyes – only Scottish Labour can build the alternative to the SNP and bring Scotland together again.”
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