The leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross is holding his position with regard to the Prime Minister, and will not be demanding his resignation over the fines issued by the Met Police in relation to parties held at Downing Street.

Mr Ross withdrew his letter to the 1922 committee in March in an apparent U-turn, but even the fines issued to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak on Tuesday will not alone make him change his mind.

When asked he said he does not even know when the Prime Minister’s birthday is, and when we explained it was on 19 June, he could only recall that he and his wife had just celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary about six days previously. But he confirmed it was only his wife and himself who attended that celebration in St Monan’s outside the church where they had been married – there was no big party. He said: “I didn’t party. I didn’t break the rules. I was one of many millions of people who followed the guidance because we were told how important that was – which is why I am as angry as everyone else about what has happened and what has come to light about what was happening in Downing Street and around Whitehall at that time.”

Baroness Ruth Davidson and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross on a walkabout in Davidson’s Mains with local candidate James Hill ahead of the 2022 election PHOTO ©2022 The Edinburgh Reporter

Mr Ross said however that he remains of the view that the Prime Minister’s actions were unacceptable.

He said: “That has been confirmed by the Met Police following the investigations and it has been accepted by the Prime Minister in terms of agreeing with those fines and paying them. But there is also a situation in Ukraine that I can’t ignore, that I wish wasn’t happening. I wish we didn’t have war in Europe – something that I didn’t think I would witness in my lifetime. I wish we didn’t watch the same images that we watch on the news every night of shallow graves, of bodies being dumped of potential chemical weapons being used, or as President Biden said, genocide. But that is happening and I can’t ignore it.”

Stewart McDonald MP had pointed out on Twitter that there was already a war in Ukraine in 2014, and we asked Mr Ross if that fact altered his position any. He replied: “I know what was happening in 2014. I understand the whole situation with Crimea being annexed and the illegal activity that was going on then. I think Stewart McDonald would also have to be honest and say that he’s not been raising this issue over the last few years, but in the last few months everyone has – Stewart McDonald myself and many other MPs across the political spectrum.

“But I think to say the situation now is the same as it was in 2014 is disingenuous at best.”

Baroness Ruth Davidson and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross on a walkabout in Davidson’s Mains with local candidate James Hill ahead of the 2022 election PHOTO ©2022 The Edinburgh Reporter

Mr Ross was joined by Baroness Ruth Davidson in Almond Ward on Wednesday morning delivering leaflets to houses in the Davidson’s Mains area. Baroness Davidson spoke to STV and also print journalists and confirmed that she maintains her view that the Prime Minster should resign over this. She praised Douglas Ross for his leadership skills and admitted that she feels he has been put in a “terrible position over this” – perhaps the hardest position any Scottish leader has ever been in. She said: “I think Douglas was pretty gutsy to come out early to say that this wasn’t on.”

She continued speaking about Mr Johnson, saying : “To have a Prime Minister who has broken the law and who presided over a culture at number 10 when laws were broken, who then said to Parliament and the public that no laws had been broken when they were – that is a reputational matter.”

But as far as Rishi Sunak was concerned Baroness Davidson would not be drawn on the need for him to step down. She said: Look, who serves on the cabinet is up to only one person. The way in which cabinet collective responsibility works, the way in which the government of the United Kingdom is structured works so that is entirely up to the Prime Minister.”

Conservative group leader, Iain Whyte who is standing for election in Craigentinny/Duddingston refused to be drawn on what his current view of the Prime Minister is.

Baroness Ruth Davidson and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross on a walkabout in Davidson’s Mains with local candidate James Hill ahead of the 2022 election PHOTO ©2022 The Edinburgh Reporter

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.