Douglas Ross (Scottish politician)
Douglas Gordon Ross (born 27 January 1983) is a Scottish politician who has served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party since 2020 and Leader of the Opposition in Scotland since 2021. He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Moray since 2017. In addition to his seat in Westminster, he serves as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands, having been elected in 2021. He was previously MSP for the region from 2016 to 2017.
Douglas Ross | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in Scotland | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2021 | |
| Monarchs | |
| First Minister | |
| Preceded by | Ruth Davidson |
| Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party[a] | |
| Assumed office 5 August 2020 | |
| Deputy | Meghan Gallacher |
| UK party leader | |
| Chair | |
| Preceded by | Jackson Carlaw |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland | |
| In office 17 December 2019 – 26 May 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2021 | |
| In office 5 May 2016 – 19 June 2017 | |
| Succeeded by | Jamie Halcro Johnston[b] |
| Member of Parliament for Moray | |
| Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Angus Robertson |
| Majority | 513 (1.1%) |
| Scottish Conservative portfolios | |
| 2016–2017 | Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas Gordon Ross 27 January 1983 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish Conservatives |
| Other political affiliations | Scottish Liberal Democrats (formerly) |
| Spouse | Krystle Ross (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Scottish Agricultural College |
Born in Aberdeen, Ross was educated at Forres Academy. After graduating from the Scottish Agricultural College, he worked on a dairy farm. A member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in his youth, he switched to the Scottish Conservatives and began his political career as a Scottish Parliament researcher and then a councillor in Moray. He stood unsuccessfully for the Moray UK Parliament constituency in the 2010 and 2015 general elections and for the Scottish Parliament constituency in 2011 and 2016. In the latter election, he was elected as a regional list MSP as one of the additional members for the Highlands and Islands.
Ross was elected to the House of Commons at the 2017 general election, defeating SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson, and was re-elected in 2019 with a reduced majority. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland under Prime Minister Boris Johnson for six months. He resigned in May 2020, in protest at Dominic Cummings continuing to serve as Johnson's adviser after breaking lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the resignation of Jackson Carlaw in July 2020, Ross announced his candidature in the August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election. Five days later, he was elected leader unopposed. He ran on a joint ticket with former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson. Since he served in the House of Commons and was not an MSP, Davidson led the party in the Scottish Parliament until the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.
Ross has announced that he will not seek re-election as an MP at the next general election.[1]
Early life and career Edit
Douglas Gordon Ross was born in Aberdeen on 27 January 1983 to Sandy and Lesley Ross.[2][3] In childhood he first attended Alves Primary School and the state secondary Forres Academy before going on to study agriculture at the Scottish Agricultural College.[4][3][5] After graduating, he worked on a dairy farm near Forres, Moray, where his father had been working as a cattleman.[6] He was a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in his youth but later became a Conservative voter.[3]
Early political career Edit
Ross began his political career when he took up a post as a parliamentary researcher at the Scottish Parliament.[3] He was first elected to The Moray Council in 2007, representing the Fochabers-Lhanbryde ward, and became part of the Independent/Conservative administration. He resigned from the council administration in December 2009 but continued as a councillor.[7] In 2012, he was re-elected to The Moray Council and again became part of the ruling administration group but was "ousted" from this in 2014, following a debate about school closures.[8]
Ross stood as the Conservative candidate for Moray at the 2010 and 2015 general elections, coming second to Angus Robertson but increased his share of the vote by 5.0% in 2015. He also stood as the Conservative candidate for the Moray Scottish Parliament constituency at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election but finished second to Richard Lochhead. At the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Ross increased his vote by 18.0% but again finished behind Lochhead. However, he was elected to the Scottish Parliament after being placed first on the Highlands and Islands regional list.[9] He supported the UK remaining within the European Union in the 2016 membership referendum.[10]
Ross stood again for the seat of Moray at the 2017 general election, challenging SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson. He was successful in overturning Robertson's 9,065 majority with 22,637 votes, 47.6% of the votes cast, gaining a 16.5% swing to the Conservatives.[11] Having gained a seat at Westminster, Ross resigned from his seat in the Scottish Parliament.[3]
In 2017, Ross said during an interview that if he was Prime Minister for a day "without any repercussions", he would "like to see tougher enforcement against Gypsy Travellers". His remark was criticised, including by Naomi McAuliffe of Amnesty International.[12][13] Ross apologised for his use of language.[14] The Scottish Football Association launched a disciplinary investigation into his remarks, which did not lead to any formal disciplinary action, but warned him to pay attention to his use of language.[15][16]
SNP and Labour spokespeople criticised Ross for missing a debate on Universal Credit in October 2017, due to his commitments as a football referee.[17] Shortly afterwards, Ross decided he would no longer accept referee appointments while the UK Parliament is sitting.[18]
Despite backing remaining in the EU prior to the referendum, Ross stated Parliament should complete Brexit to "deliver the will of the British people". He voted against Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement at the first round of voting and was absent for the second following his wife going into labour. He supported Mark Harper then subsequently Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.[3]
Ross was re-elected at the 2019 general election with a reduced majority.[19] He was then appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, replacing Colin Clark who had lost his seat in the election.[20] He resigned from this role on 26 May 2020, in protest against Dominic Cummings continuing to serve as Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister after having travelled over 260 miles (420 kilometres) from London to Durham during the COVID-19 lockdown period.[21][22]
Leadership of the Scottish Conservatives Edit
Ross announced his candidature in the August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election following Jackson Carlaw's resignation on 30 July 2020. On 5 August, he won the contest unopposed and became leader.[23] On 11 August, he conducted a reshuffle where he made Ruth Davidson the Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament, dismissed Annie Wells and Liam Kerr from their deputy leadership positions and did not give Carlaw a position.[24] As a result of the Alex Salmond parliamentary inquiry in early 2021, Ross called on opposition parties to pass a motion of no confidence against the Scottish Government.[25][26]
Upon becoming leader, Ross announced plans to run for a seat in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election and succeed Davidson as his party's leader in Holyrood.[24] He was subsequently elected on the Highlands and Islands regional list. The Scottish Conservatives won 31 seats in total, matching their 2016 result and recording the party's highest ever vote share. Following his re-election to the Scottish Parliament, Ross announced his intention to remain MP for Moray while serving as an MSP. The Scottish Parliament website confirms that Ross will donate his MSP salary to charities.[27][28] Other parties have called on him to resign from his MP role.[29]
In November 2021, Ross referred himself to the parliamentary watchdog after it was revealed he failed to record his salary and earnings as a linesman in his registers of interest at the UK Parliament, all of which amounted to £28,000 not being recorded.[30][31][32] He subsequently apologised for his actions and said it was an error on his part however there were also calls for his resignation because of the affair.[32][33][34]
In January 2022, after Ross called for the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid the Downing Street party scandal, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons, commented: "I don't think Douglas Ross is a big figure. I think Alister Jack is a really serious and senior figure."[35] It was then reported that Ross had sent in a letter of no-confidence in Boris Johnson to the 1922 Committee.[36] Less than two months later, in response to the invasion of Ukraine, Ross announced that he had withdrawn his letter, saying “the middle of an international crisis is not the time to be discussing resignations”.[37] Despite this, he was one of four of the six Scottish Conservative MPs who voted against Johnson in the June confidence vote, though stressed he had not resubmitted his letter.[38]
After poor results in the 2022 Scottish local elections, Ross said he intended to remain as leader.[39]
Policies and views Edit
In line with the Scottish Conservatives, Ross supports British unionism and is opposed to a second referendum on Scottish independence.[40] Following his election as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, Ross stated that he wanted to represent "working-class unionists in Scotland."[41] However, he has also criticised what he views as too much centralisation around London and has expressed support for some federalist ideas, including House of Lords reform.[42] In the run-up to the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Ross proposed a "pro-UK, anti-referendum coalition" with other Scottish unionist parties although this was not supported by Scottish Labour.[43]
Ross backed Remain during the EU referendum, but after the vote he stated Parliament should complete Brexit to "deliver the will of the British people". He voted against Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement at the first round of voting and was absent for the second following his wife going into labour. During the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election, Ross initially endorsed Mark Harper before backing Boris Johnson in the final round.[44]
Ross has also expressed support for power of recall in the Scottish parliament, and in 2021 proposed what he called "Mackay's Law" (named after former SNP Finance Minister Derek Mackay), whereby MSPs who have not shown up for work for over six months but still collect pay must be forced to resign.[41]
Football referee Edit
A qualified football official, Ross is a top-level assistant referee in his spare time. He was one of the officials for the 2015 Scottish Cup Final, assisting Willie Collum,[45] and the 2018 Scottish Cup Final, assisting Kevin Clancy. He has run the line in several editions of Scotland's biggest club fixture, the Old Firm Derby, and has been involved in continental UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League ties and international FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[46] He continued his refereeing career after being elected to the Scottish Parliament[47] and also officiated matches whilst an MP in the UK House of Commons.[48]
In the House of Commons Register of Members' Interests, Ross declared earnings of more than £2,700 in August and September 2017 for his work as an assistant referee.[16][49] In October of that year, Ross told the football authorities that he would no longer accept refereeing appointments during the week while the UK Parliament is sitting.[18] By December 2017 his declared income from 20 domestic and international games since becoming an MP was more than £11,000.[50]
In December 2018, BBC Sport reported that Ross had reduced the number of refereeing appointments due to his work commitments as an MP.[51] At this time, he also argued that the Scottish Football Association should not appoint fully professional referees.[51]
In August 2020, Ross apologised for not attending a VJ Day event as a result of previously agreeing to officiate at a Scottish Premiership game between Kilmarnock and St Johnstone. Ross said he would donate his match fee to the charity Help for Heroes.[52] In October 2020, he was a linesman at Wembley for England's 3–0 friendly win against Wales.[53]
In November 2020, FIFA were asked to investigate a complaint by a member of the Scottish Football Supporters Association that a Conservative Party leaflet distributed to homes in Scotland included a photograph of Ross as a match official.[54]
Ross stopped officiating games in January 2021 due to injury.[55] He resumed his refereeing career in July 2022, while both Holyrood and Westminster were in recess.[55]
Personal life Edit
Ross married his wife, Krystle, in 2015. They have two sons, one who was born in 2019, and another in 2021.[2][56][57]
Notes Edit
- ^ Ross has served as Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament since 6 May 2021, having been preceded by Ruth Davidson.
- ^ Normally, regional MSPs do not have individual predecessors and successors. However, Ross retired his seat during a sitting parliament so was succeeded by Halcro Johnston.
References Edit
- ^ Malik, Paul (14 October 2021). "Westminster boundary shake-up will impact all Courier voters'". The Courier. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b Ross, Douglas Gordon. A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U287469. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Who is Tory MP Douglas Ross?". BBC News. 26 May 2020. from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Douglas Ross". Forres Gazette. 11 June 2014. from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Simon (26 May 2020). "Who is Douglas Ross, the first minister to resign over the Dominic Cummings furore?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Rhodes, Mandy (20 May 2020). "Moo-ving on up: interview with Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross". Holyrood. Dods Group. from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Senior planning councillor ousted following Moray school closure row". STV News. 7 November 2014. from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ Robertson, John (25 November 2014). "Ousted Moray councillor to fight for Westminster seat". The Press and Journal. from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ "Election 2016: Highlands and Islands Scottish Parliament region". BBC News. 6 May 2016. from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "EU referendum debate: How did your MSP vote?". BBC News. 26 May 2016. from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "General election 2017: SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson loses seat". BBC News. 9 June 2017. from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ Shedden, Sam (23 August 2017). "New Tory MP Douglas Ross slammed for anti-Traveller comment". The Scotsman. from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Kirkaldy, Liam (24 August 2017). "Amnesty International calls for Douglas Ross to apologise over gypsy remarks". Holyrood. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ "Tory MP Douglas Ross apologises for 'Gypsy traveller' comments". BBC News. 25 August 2017. from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ "Football official and MP's 'gypsy' comments probed by SFA". STV. from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ a b . STV. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Tory MP misses vote to be assistant referee at Champions League game". BBC News. 18 October 2017. from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Referee Tory MP Douglas Ross to miss World Cup". BBC News. 27 October 2017. from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Moray parliamentary constituency". BBC News. from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Moray MP Douglas Ross appointed Scotland Office minister". BBC News. 17 December 2019. from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Ross, Douglas [@Douglas4Moray] (26 May 2020). "I haven't commented publicly on the situation with Dominic Cummings as I have waited to hear the full details. I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remains aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with. As a result I have resigned as a government Minister" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Minister quits over Cummings' lockdown actions". BBC News. 26 May 2020. from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Douglas Ross confirmed as Scottish Conservative leader". BBC News. BBC. 5 August 2020. from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ a b Sanderson, Daniel (11 August 2020). "Ruth Davidson's return to frontline politics confirmed as Douglas Ross announces first reshuffle". The Telegraph. from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Simon (8 March 2021). "Douglas Ross challenges other opposition leaders to back no confidence votes in Sturgeon and Swinney". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.(subscription required)
- ^ "Scottish Conservatives to press on with vote of no confidence in John Swinney this week". HeraldScotland. 7 March 2021. from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Gordon, Tom (12 May 2021). . The Herald. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Webster, Laura (8 May 2021). "Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross wins seat on Highlands and Islands list". The National. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Clark, Jonathan (18 November 2021). "Moray's Conservative MP Douglas Ross rejects calls to resign after failing to fully record his salaries". The Northern Scot. from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross in job 'sleaze' row". BBC News. 13 November 2021. from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Tory leader refers himself to watchdog over undeclared income". The Guardian. 13 November 2021. from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ a b Cassidy, Rory (13 November 2021). "Douglas Ross blasted for own goal over failing to declare referee payments". Daily Record. from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Douglas Ross 'sorry' and reports himself to watchdog over £28,000 of undeclared salaries". HeraldScotland. from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ Davey, Mark (13 November 2021). "SNP hit out at 'triple jobs Ross' for failing to declare thousands". www.standard.co.uk. from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (12 January 2022). "Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross 'not a big figure', says Jacob Rees-Mogg". The Scotsman. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Boris Johnson no-confidence letters: Which Tory MPs have written to 1922 committee to force leadership contest". from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Scottish Tory leader withdraws letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson". The Guardian. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "How Scottish Conservative MPs voted and what they said about Boris Johnson". Dundee Courier. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Douglas Ross: 'I'll continue as leader' after election blow". BBC News. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Why is our Union special?". Policy Exchange. from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Douglas Ross promises 'Mackay's Law' to oust absent MSPs". BBC News. 3 October 2021. from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Tory leader attacks Boris Johnson's over-centralised approach". The Guardian. 2 November 2020. from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Mcilkenny, Stephen (27 March 2021). "Anas Sarwar responds to Douglas Ross letter calling for 'pro-Union coalition'". The Herald. from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "Who is Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross?". BBC News. 18 September 2020. from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Cup final: Willie Collum to referee Inverness CT v Falkirk". BBC Sport. 13 May 2015. from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Scotland - D. Ross - Profile with news, career statistics and history". uk.soccerway.com. from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "Whistle blown on MSP Douglas Ross's refereeing clash". BBC News. 23 November 2016. from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ PA, Ronnie Esplin (16 March 2023). "Assistant referee Douglas Ross targeted by Celtic fans". The Irish News. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "House of Commons – The Register of Members' Financial Interests (9 October 2017: Ross, Douglas)". publications.parliament.uk. from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Gordon, Tom (14 December 2017). "Scottish Tory MP Douglas Ross's outside football earnings top £11,000". The Sunday Herald. from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Referee Douglas Ross not convinced by full-time switch". BBC Sport. 7 December 2018. from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ "Tory leader sorry for missing VJ Day event for match". BBC News. 16 August 2020. from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ "England Vs Wales friendly". The Guardian. 8 October 2020. from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ Mcilkenny, Stephen (1 November 2020). "FIFA asked to investigate use of Douglas Ross linesman photo in Scottish Conservative party leaflet". The Herald. from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross returns to refereeing role". BBC News. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ Beresford, Alan (13 March 2019). "Oh baby! Frantic dash for MP father". The Northern Scot. from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross welcomes birth of second son". BBC News. 30 June 2021. from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
External links Edit
- Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Douglas Ross
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou