Douglas Ross under threat as Tory colleagues plot to dump him as Scottish Conservatives leader
dailyrecord.co.ukDouglas Ross’ position as Scottish Tory leader is under threat after his party was hammered at the local council elections. A Conservative MSP told the Record informal talks have already taken place about dumping Ross after the Conservatives lost dozens of councillors and second place to Labour.
The parliamentarian said Ross’ u-turn on the Prime Minister and partygate had been a disaster - and accused him of not being “empathetic” or “warm”.
They added: “He doesn't have a lot of built-up loyalty. He doesn’t do the rounds. He doesn’t touch base. He’s not a people person.“He has just lost all credibility.” The local authority results were a disaster for Ross after the SNP recorded a strong first place and Labour relegated the Tories to distant third.
On Ross’ watch the Conservatives lost over 60 seats - posting big losses in Glasgow and slumping to fifth place in Edinburgh behind the Greens.In an interview with the BBC, Ross blamed the Prime Minister and the lockdown parties for the defeat.He said the results were “very disappointing” and the public had sent a message to the Prime Minister “particularly around partygate”.However, senior party figures insisted the Scottish Tory leader is himself culpable and his position untenable.They point to him demanding Johnson’s resignation and then u-turning on the quit call as a credibility-sapping move.An MSP said a senior party figure was already speaking to colleagues about replacing Ross.The MSP said: “I don’t think he is safe.
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