‘We have lost first ministers for less than what she has been accused of ’
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, says Sturgeon could resign before polls if allegations are proved true
By N icola Sturgeon could be gone as Scotland’s First Minister within weeks over the Alex Salmond affair, the Scottish Conservative leader has suggested.
In an interview with The Daily
Telegraph, Douglas Ross said the Sturgeon-salmond saga had brought “sleaze and scandal to the heart of Scottish politics”.
At the centre of the row is whether Ms Sturgeon lied to the Scottish Parliament about what she knew, a potential breach of the ministerial code. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Ross said if the allegation was proved true, Ms Sturgeon should “absolutely” resign and even hinted it was possible she could go before the Holyrood elections in May.
“We have lost first ministers through resignations here in Scotland for far less than what Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of,” he said.
Asked if Ms Sturgeon could be gone by Christmas, he said: “I think there is a lot to come not just this year but in the next few weeks that would really threaten her as the head of the SNP and as First Minister. And that’s before we even get into the election campaign.”
Mr Ross, the Tory MP from Moray who became Scottish party leader last August, was speaking on Thursday, one day before Mr Salmond gave evidence in Holyrood.
Away from the immediate headlines of the SNP’S civil war is the question of the Union, with polls now consistently showing Scottish voters support independence.
With calls ramping up for a second independence referendum in Scotland, and Brexit triggering new tensions in Northern Ireland over its border arrangements, some Unionists are gloomy about the UK’S future.
Mr Ross is not among them. Asked if the Union will still be intact in 100 years with all four nations – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – he said categorically: “Yes”.
Asked how he could be so confident, Mr Ross replied: “Well, because it’s come through a lot in several hundred years before now and it has weathered some pretty major storms.
“It is that strength of four nations coming together and combining to do far more together than they ever could do as one single nation alone that has got us through some of the most difficult and challenging times in our history.”
Mr Ross is insistent that Boris Johnson will not agree to a second independence referendum before the next UK election in 2024.
Calls for another vote will ramp up in May if the SNP wins a majority of seats in the Holyrood elections, as is expected.
But Mr Ross insists that outcome is not a done deal.
Asked what he would tell a gambler putting down cash on an SNP majority, he responded: “I’d say don’t bet on that. Don’t waste your money on that outcome.”
Should the SNP win its Holyrood majority but be denied a second referendum, it is possible they would unilaterally call their own independence vote – a move which is legally dubious.
What then? Mr Ross was firm: “I’ve said Scottish Conservatives would absolutely boycott it. I’d take no part in some illegal, wildcat referendum that would do nothing but create more uncertainty for individuals, families and businesses.
“And it’s really not where the priority of people in Scotland is right now when we’re trying to get through this pandemic and then rebuild after coronavirus.
“We need to focus on the powers that Scotland currently has and using them to the best of our ability, rather than having this reckless referendum that the SNP seem determined to hold as soon as possible.”
Debate remains in Scotland about the strategy the pro-uk campaign, Better Together, used to win the referendum in 2014. The campaign leant in hard on the economic consequences of independence but was accused by opponents of scaremongering.
Mr Ross said he believed the pro-uk campaign in 2014 was too “negative”. It is important to make the financial realities of separation clear, he argued looking forward, but also use more positive ways to show how Scotland benefits from being in the UK today.
Mr Ross, aged 38 and just six months into party leadership, admitted that at times it has been hard to cut through with the pandemic dominating people’s lives and the headlines.
His relationship with Mr Johnson has also been in the spotlight, with Mr Ross resigning as a minister in the Scotland Office after news about Dominic Cummings, the then No 10 adviser, taking a car trip north during lockdown emerged.
Mr Ross said the Prime Minister spent half an hour on the phone with him the night before his resignation was announced, attempting to convince him to stay. It did not work, but he claims they finished the call on “very agreeable terms”.
“Since then, you know, we’ve agreed and we’ve disagreed but we still maintain a good relationship. I’m speaking with him on Tuesday next week.
“We text back and forth,” said Mr Ross, who hopes to return to Holyrood in May.
“He knows I’ll challenge the UK Government if I don’t think they’re doing the right thing for Scotland and I’ll back the UK Government when I think they’ve got it right for Scotland.”
Away from the cut and thrust of Scottish politics, Mr Ross still continues his part-time job as a professional linesman in the Scottish football leagues.
He has appeared in about a dozen games since becoming the Scottish Tory leader, but is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that he picked up during the Aberdeen versus Rangers match.
Mr Ross said he has not got any crowd abuse since his new job, given Covid-19 means there are no fans in stadiums, but is quick to add he wants supporters back as soon as it is safe to do so.
‘The Union has come through a lot in several hundred years and it has weathered some pretty major storms’