Recent events have taken toll, says ex-MP barred from standing by Tories

The former Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan has said recent events have “taken their toll” on him and his family.

David Duguid was blocked by the Scottish Tories on health grounds from standing for re-election, and he has issued statements on social media to air his unhappiness about the decision.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross is instead running in the successor constituency of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, but the move has caused unease among some senior figures in the party.

Mr Ross will stand down as the party’s Scottish leader following the General Election and will quit his role as an MSP if he is again elected to the House of Commons.

Mr Duguid, who was previously a junior minister in the Scotland Office, posted on Wednesday: “This time exactly four weeks ago, I was planning my campaign to be elected as the MP for the new constituency of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

“My intention was to do this remotely using party literature, personal letters, social media, interviews to camera and one or two surprises etc, while I continued to recover at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital spinal unit in Glasgow.

“I had a plan.”

He said while the situation was not ideal, he felt “confident” he could beat the SNP in the constituency, which is in the north east of Scotland.

The party’s decision to block him from running came as a shock, he said.

“I’d be lying if I said the events of the last few weeks haven’t taken their toll on myself and my family,” Mr Duguid added.

“But no matter what the future may hold, I remain as determined as ever to continue my recovery and rehabilitation.

“I am pleased to report that I continue to make progress daily and I’d like to thank everyone again for their messages of support.”

A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “We send David our very best wishes as he continues his recovery.”