Douglas Ross promises 'Mackay's Law' to oust absent MSPs

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has called for "Mackay's Law" to force MSPs who do not attend Holyrood for six months to stand down.

In a speech at a Tory party conference fringe event he said it would give voters power to get rid of MSPs like former finance secretary Derek Mackay.

Mr Ross also said his party, the second biggest in Holyrood with 31 MSPs, was the party of working class unionists.

The SNP and Scottish Labour said Tory policies were creating more poverty.

Mr Mackay, who resigned from the SNP government after the Scottish Sun revealed he was messaging a teenage boy, was paid £100,000 while "hiding at home" and not in parliament, Mr Ross said in his speech in Manchester.

He said a "Mackay's Law" would "give people the power to get rid of MSPs who don't do their job".

"The ex-SNP finance secretary, Derek Mackay, resigned in disgrace and was never seen in parliament again," he said. "Yet Scottish taxpayers were forced to continue to pay him £100,000.

"In no other job could someone pocket a six-figure salary while hiding at home. So why would we stand for it in the Scottish Parliament?"

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Mr Ross also highlighted Scotland's drug deaths crisis, which he claimed would be First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's "legacy".

He said: "An independence referendum won't add another day of good health to anyone's life.

"While they talk, we will act. That's why we're introducing a Right to Recovery Bill, to tackle the drugs scandal that will be Nicola Sturgeon's legacy.

"Every year she has been first minister, drug deaths have gone up, to the highest level in Europe."

The Right to Recovery Bill states it would allow anyone seeking addiction treatment "to quickly access their preferred treatment option, unless a medical professional deems it would be harmful to the individual".

Mr Ross added that his party planned to introduce a "Local Government Powers and Protection Bill" to put more power in the hands of councils.

'Constitutional campaign group'

Mr Ross accused First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of turning the Scottish government into a "subsidy of Yes Scotland" and claimed the government was a "constitutional campaign group on stilts" focused on independence above all else.

He said: "It's not good enough to stop an SNP majority. We have to stop nationalism for good. Scottish Labour are a party of the past."

He added: "We are the party of working-class unionists in Scotland now because we represent their values."

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said Mr Ross's "desperate speech to the fringes of the Conservative Party conference would be amusing were it not so detached from reality".

She added: "The idea that the Scottish Conservatives are the champions of working people, at a time when they are set to give the green light to the devastating cut to Universal Credit, is simply deluded."

'Devastating' UK policies

SNP MSP Neil Gray said: "Douglas Ross is desperately trying to be relevant but his Tory bosses in London have relegated him to speaking at a fringe event.

"While the first minister and SNP government are focused on navigating through this pandemic and working to protect people's livelihoods, Douglas Ross and the Scottish Tories continue to fall into line behind Boris Johnson to impose devastating policies that will push people into hardship and poverty.

"The only plan on offer from Douglas Ross is to continue backing Boris Johnson's harmful policies against Scotland's will, including an extreme Tory Brexit - which has led to the fuel crisis, empty supermarket shelves, and severe labour shortages - and callous cuts to Universal Credit."