‘This is just absolutely pathetic’: Douglas Ross vs Pete Wishart

This morning’s Scottish Affairs select committee session got off to a rocky start when Tory leader Douglas Ross clashed with SNP chairman Pete Wishart. A buoyant Ross, who led his party to its best Holyrood results last week, kicked off by welcoming Scotland secretary Alister Jack and his mandarin Laurence Rockey to the committee but could not resist a swipe at the ‘frankly inept and poor’ Wishart who responded with similar gusto.

Ross: Thank you Mr Rockey for joining us today and I have to say at the outset how disappointed people must have been to watch the quite frankly inept and poor chairing of this committee so far by Mr Wishart and I think people will understand why members of his own party and across Parliament – here we go, we’re not allowed to criticise the SNP –Wishart: Listen Douglas, excuse me, excuse me Douglas Ross, there’s no need at all to make attacks on the chair of this committee, I’ve been elected by the House to chair this committee, could you please just get on with addressing your questions?Ross: I seem to have hit a nerve of the sensitive chair of this committee…Wishart: It’s not, I’m just trying to get on with doing my job without any sort of personal attacks like that, please get on with your questions.Ross: