How the Scottish Tories can survive

‘The thing is,’ says one Conservative member of the Scottish parliament, ‘that we wanted rid of him – just not like this.’ Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross’s decision to stand in next month’s General Election infuriated colleagues. His response to that backlash – to resign his position – has driven some of them positively apoplectic with rage.

The Scottish Conservatives, revived from near death by former leader Ruth Davidson, are now heading towards polling day under the stewardship of a man who’s made it abundantly clear that he prioritises Westminster over Holyrood. Ross’s announcement that he will resign his Scottish Parliamentary seat only if he wins the newly drawn Westminster constituency of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East has, unsurprisingly, exacerbated tensions. If Ross loses next month, he faces a miserable future at Holyrood, sitting on the backbenches among MSPs who feel he has put personal ambition before the interests of their party.