Douglas Ross questions Holyrood neutrality after FMQs ejection
Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has questioned the neutrality of Holyrood's presiding officer after he was ordered to leave the Holyrood chamber. Ross was ejected from First Minister's Questions at the Scottish Parliament for talking over John Swinney as he was answering a question. Ross told BBC Scotland News that he had "serious questions" about Alison Johnstone's conduct and said she should "seriously consider her neutral role".He also claimed the presiding officer had allowed SNP and Green MSPs to behave in a way that she did not extend to Conservative members.
The Highlands and Island MSP said that it was "unprecedented" for him to be sent out without a warning.Ross was told that he would not be allowed back in to Holyrood's debating chamber for the rest of the day.
Outside the debating chamber, Ross told BBC Scotland News that he would seek to speak to the presiding officer and her officials. "I have serious questions about the conduct of the presiding officer," he said.Ross has had a number of clashes with the presiding officer over recent weeks. He is not the first MSP to be temporarily suspended from Holyrood. Tory colleague Oliver Mundell was ordered out by former presiding officer Ken Macintosh in 2020 for claiming Nicola Sturgeon had lied to parliament over the Alex Salmond inquiry.In 2015, Labour's James Kelly was booted out by Tricia Marwick in a row about a point of order which she contended wasn't a point of order relating to the UK Trade Union Bill.The Scottish Parliament has been contacted for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
29 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
'By-election fascinating, frustrating and tense to cover'
I was disappointed when he replied that it was Mr Farage's deputy Richard Tice who was heading to Hamilton that Saturday and not Mr Farage himself. But reassured it was only a select few papers including The Herald - that were being invited - and not the press pack on mass - I regarded the assignment as something of a "semi scoop" and re-arranged my day off. READ MORE: What you need to know about the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election Nigel Farage dodges reporters on Hamilton campaign visit Analysis: Is rise of Nigel Farage a threat to the Union? Reform can 'win Hamilton by-election and take power' in Holyrood After spending most of the morning and afternoon of Saturday, May 17 in Hamilton speaking to voters and quizzing Mr Farage's number two, I'm glad I did. It was quite an experience. First by getting an insight into what voters on the streets were thinking. It was clear they were very divided between the SNP, Labour and Reform. No other party, including the Conservatives, the Lib Dems or the Greens, were even being mentioned by voters as parties they were considering backing. And secondly by interviewing Mr Tice himself. The last time he was in Scotland, just weeks earlier, he gave the impression of someone not at all well briefed on what was going on in his party when he could not name the two councillors who had just defected from the Tories to Reform. This time around, admittedly in more controlled press circumstances, with each of the papers interviewing him one at a time rather than putting questions to him in a "huddle with reporters", he came across as better informed on developments in Scottish politics. Reform's presence has dominated the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election from very early on. When the contest was called following the sad death of SNP minister Christina McKelvie from secondary breast cancer in March, the country's top pollsters regarded it as a "two horse race" between the SNP and Labour. But the success of Reform at local elections in England at the start of May, provided significant momentum for the right wing populist party in the Lanarkshire by-election - and considerably reshaped the race both for the other main parties in the race - the SNP and Labour - and for the media. It's been fascinating to cover, but also tense and frustrating too. Tense when Nigel Farage did eventually travel to Scotland last Monday and rounded on my colleague Andrew Learmonth, The Herald's Political Editor, falsely accusing The Herald, of leaking the location of the Reform leader's press conference in Aberdeen to protestors that morning. And it's been frustrating too. No journalist wants to spend several hours in a car park waiting for a politician who fails to show up. But along with my fellow Herald Political Correspondent Rebecca McCurdy and Herald photographer Colin Mearns, this is exactly what I did last Monday, along with around a dozen or so members of the press. After locking horns in Aberdeen with Mr Learmonth, the Reform leader decided not to meet reporters - and voters - on the streets of Hamilton and instead dodged us to drop in to meet his party's activists at its campaign headquarters in the town. By the end of the day it was Reform's clashes with the print media which was the news story. As we head to the Holyrood elections less than a year away I suspect these type of encounters between the media and Mr Farage's party are something we will see more of.
Glasgow Times
29 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Green light for A737 works with no full impact review
The Scottish Government has decided that resurfacing work on the A737, northwest of Paisley, can go ahead without needing the detailed assessment. To view the full public notice, go to Read more: Paisley football fan to bring Hampden atmosphere to life for visually-impaired fans Paisley teen's hospital volunteering fuels dream of being a doctor Hunt for answers after lorry crashes into bridge near M8 The decision follows a determination under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, which considers the potential environmental effects of public and private projects. The project has been classified as a "relevant project" under the Act, as it falls within Annex II of Directive 2011/92/EU, which deals with the environmental assessment of certain projects. However, the authorities have concluded that the resurfacing work will not have significant effects on the environment. This conclusion was reached after considering various factors, including the use of natural resources, waste production, potential pollution, and risks to human health. The authorities also considered the potential impact on areas protected under national legislation, such as the Black Cart Special Protection Area and the Inner Clyde RAMSAR site. The determination was made based on the results of an environmental screening assessment and an assessment under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994. The assessments concluded that there would be no significant effects on the Black Cart Special Protection Area, the Inner Clyde Special Protection Area, and the Inner Clyde RAMSAR site. The Record of Determination, dated April 22, 2025, contains more details about the decision. The main reasons for not requiring an environmental impact assessment are: the assessment under the 1994 regulations concluded there would be no significant effects on protected areas; there will be no impacts on the Black Cart Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Inner Clyde Site of Special Scientific Interest; and any potential impacts of the works are expected to be temporary, short-term, non-significant, and limited to the construction phase. The project has been designed to avoid or prevent significant adverse effects on the environment. Mitigation measures and best practices will be implemented to ensure no short-term or long-term significant negative impacts. Containment measures will be in place to prevent debris or pollutants from entering the surrounding environment, and appropriate removal and disposal of waste will be ensured.
The National
30 minutes ago
- The National
Douglas Ross accused of 'bullying witnesses' in Holyrood committee
Former SNP MSP John Mason, who now sits as an independent, raised a point of order with the Presiding Officer in Holyrood on Wednesday evening to highlight the issue as a fellow member of the Education Committee. He told the chamber that the former Scottish Tory leader "repeatedly bullies witnesses," adding, "especially female witnesses," speaking to the committee, just after Ross repeatedly grilled the principal of Edinburgh University over his six-figure salary. 'I seek your advice as to what the Education Committee should do because the convener of the education committee, Douglas Ross, repeatedly bullies witnesses who come to us – especially female witnesses – but this morning a male witness,' Mason said. READ MORE: 'New low': SNP slam Labour over MP lobbying trip to Israel amid Gaza genocide 'It is embarrassing for the committee. The committee has discussed it. Mr Ross refuses to listen to the committee, and I seek your advice as to what we should do.' In response to Mason's accusation, Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, who is in the middle of her own spat with the former Tory leader after she expelled him from the Holyrood chamber last week for heckling, said it is a 'matter for the committee itself and for its convener'. The Scottish Tories have been approached for comment. Mathieson (above) told the committee that he does 'not know the precise numbers' of his salary, telling MSPs when challenged on this: 'I don't carry that figure around in my head.' The principal accepted he is 'very well paid', with Ross then pointing out the principal's reported salary of £418,000 is more than the combined wages of both First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He added: 'I was made an offer by the University of Edinburgh when I was appointed and I accepted it, and I am very satisfied with the package I was offered.' He said his 'basic salary' is 'about £350,000', adding there is a pension supplement on top of this. In a heated exchange, Ross then asked if given the 'massive cuts' the university is planning there could be a reduction in his salary, Mathieson said: 'You could pay the senior team of the University of Edinburgh nothing and that would make largely no difference to the size of the expenditure challenge we face.' Edinburgh University has already confirmed about 350 staff will leave under a voluntary severance scheme, which will save it about £18m a year.
