Ross disrespected Tories with election U-turn, says leadership hopeful Whittle

A Scottish Tory leadership candidate has claimed Douglas Ross disrespected his Holyrood party by running for a Westminster seat at the General Election.

Brian Whittle, who is one of six MSPs vying to replace Mr Ross as party leader, said he and other Scottish Tory colleagues were “hurt” by the decision.

Mr Ross went back on a previous pledge to stand down from Westminster when he announced his candidacy in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat.

He faced further criticism for the decision after former MP David Duguid said he was “deselected” the night before by party bosses due to ill health.

Speaking on the Ponsonby and Massie Podcast, Mr Whittle agreed Mr Ross’ decision cost the party the seat in what was the SNP’s only gain of the election.

Mr Whittle said Scottish Tory colleagues felt that Mr Ross did not want to be in Holyrood.

He said: “He earned the right to make decisions and he earned the right to make mistakes and that was one of several in a row in a very short period of time.

“I think it was a decision, that for me, said, ‘I want to be in Westminster. I don’t want to be in Holyrood’.

“That hurt because the whole point was we were supporting him being an MP and an MSP on the understanding that he was giving up being an MP to be an MSP and to lead the party properly at Holyrood.

“So, all that time that we supported him in doing that, I find that’s actually maybe not what he wanted to do. That’s a difficult pill to swallow.

“It’s, quite frankly, just a bit disrespectful to the rest of us.”

Mr Whittle also hinted that he is no longer close with Mr Ross following the decision, stating: “Douglas came into Holyrood with me and I classed him as a friend at the time, I thought he was a very good operator.”

But he added that Mr Ross “retreated into his bunker” and operated with “too few people” making decisions.

Alongside Mr Whittle, Meghan Gallacher, Russell Findlay, Jamie Greene, Liam Kerr and Murdo Fraser have announced their intention to stand.

Nominations opened on Thursday and candidates are required to have the backing of 100 party members by noon on August 22.

Hustings will then take place across the country, with ballots closing on September 26 and the winner declared the following day.

But Mr Whittle also told the podcast hosts that if he did not win, he did not think he would be able to vote for Russell Findlay, describing his colleague as the “establishment” choice.

He said: “I think there has to be real, real change, so I would struggle to vote for Russell because I don’t believe the change is there that’s required.”

He went on to say: “I have a lot of time for Russell Findlay, I think he has done an incredible job in the short period of time that he has been in Parliament. I think he has led his portfolio really well.

“But it doesn’t make him, in my view, the best person to be leader, but he has been incredibly effective.

“I think without question he would be the establishment’s choice.”

“The difference, this time around, is that we’ve been prepared to stand up and go, ‘no, we’re not accepting that.’”