Scottish Tory deputy leader quits in leadership contest row

Megan Gallacher has resigned as Scottish Conservative deputy leader

Scottish Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher has resigned as party deputy leader over "concerning allegations" about leader Douglas Ross.

It comes after four other candidates in the leadership contest to replace Mr Ross questioned the "transparency and fairness" of the race.

Murdo Fraser, Jamie Greene, Liam Kerr and Brian Whittle raised concerns over a Daily Telegraph report that Mr Ross said last July that he should be replaced by Russell Findlay - who is also standing.

Ms Gallacher, who is also in the race, said she believed there was a "potential risk to the reputation of our party and the leadership contest".

Douglas Ross is alleged to have suggested Russell Findlay succeed him last summer

The Daily Telegraph reported that Douglas Ross met with Westminster candidate Kathleen Robertson in July 2023 and raised the prospect of him replacing her at the 2024 general election.

When Ms Robertson, a Conservative councillor, asked Mr Ross who would replace him as leader if he returned to Westminster it is claimed that he suggested Mr Findlay - currently the party's justice spokesperson.

The paper reports that she declined Mr Ross's request to replace her.

Russell Findlay has said he had "no knowledge" of the reported conversation.

In a statement, he said he was standing for change in the party and was "focused on running a positive campaign".

Mr Ross and Ms Robertson have been approached for comment.

Who is in the running to be Scottish Conservative leader?

There are six MSPs running to replace Douglas Ross. The candidates are (clockwise from top left) Russell Findlay, Meghan Gallacher, Jamie Greene, Murdo Fraser, Liam Kerr and Brian Whittle. Read more about the candidates here.

Following the report, Meghan Gallacher announced she had made "the difficult decision" to quit as the Scottish party's deputy leader.

She said: “It has been an honour to serve as deputy leader for the past two years.

"I am proud of how we have held the SNP government to account on significant issues.

“However, due to my candidacy for leader of the Scottish Conservative party and the concerning allegations that have emerged today, I am unable to continue in this role.”

Ms Gallacher's resignation comes after Mr Fraser, Mr Greene, Mr Kerr and Mr Whittle asked party officials to clarify what they knew about the reported meeting and attempts from Douglas Ross to find a Westminster seat for himself.

The group stated: "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing claims about the conduct of Douglas Ross.

"The reports reference his plans and preferences for a replacement leader to take over the party upon his departure, which are relevant to the transparency and fairness of the current leadership contest we are participating in.

"These allegations raise serious questions for the party which, in our opinion, require to be answered before the current leadership contest proceeds further."

Russell Findlay and Murdo Fraser are among the leadership contenders

The group is also calling on the party's management board to clarify if they believe that the fairness of the current contest has been affected by Mr Ross allegedly expressing a preference for who succeeded him.

The group is also asking whether the board believe it was "an appropriate way" to treat a candidate and whether party members in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East were aware of Mr Ross' request before selecting him as their general election candidate.

A former leader of the party, Jackson Carlaw, has called on Douglas Ross to resign immediately as party leader over the matter.

Posting on X, Jackson Carlaw said "the current leader’s position is unsustainable".

The Scottish Conservatives have said this was a "personal and private conversation" between Douglas Ross and Kathleen Robertson and was not a matter for the Party.

A party spokesperson added: “Some months later Kathleen Robertson separately informed the chairman and the party director about this meeting and said she wished this matter to remain confidential and required them to do nothing further.”

Mr Ross ultimately lost his bid to be elected as an MP following a controversial row which saw Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid not selected to contest the seat.

During campaigning Mr Ross announced his intention to stand down as leader, setting in motion the leadership contest that is scheduled to conclude by the end of September.

BBC Scotland understands that Russell Findlay was not asked to sign the joint statement.

This Scottish Tory leadership contest is becoming a bit ill-tempered. In truth, it has been for a while. Many insiders believe the ‘party establishment’ is behind Russell Findlay, and that the process is working in his favour.

He may well have some senior people backing him, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that points to him being given an explicit, unfair advantage over other candidates.

Some have suggested he may have been thinking about his candidacy for longer than others – but that’s politics. Nevertheless, other candidates have banded together (highly unusual in itself) to question the legitimacy of this whole process.

Remember, someone will eventually emerge as the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives. They then have a group of MSPs to lead. They are the biggest opposition party at Holyrood. Their role is to hold the government to account.

But right now it feels like the first job of the winner will be to deal with internal disquiet. No easy task in itself.