3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Ross accuses Presiding Officer of misleading parliament
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Mr Ross said he was 'very frustrated' by the decision.
'For a member to be expelled from the chamber without being warned at all, I think may be unprecedented,' he said. 'I have been warned in the past, as has John Swinney. I have been warned quite a lot recently, as has John Swinney, for shouting and heckling and others and asking questions, as have many SNP backbenchers and frontbenchers.'
Asked directly if he was questioning the Presiding Officer's neutrality, he replied: 'Yes.'
However, a spokesperson for Ms Johnstone said Mr Ross had been repeatedly warned about his heckling.
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On Tuesday, Mr Ross accused Ms Johnstone of refusing to meet him following his ejection the previous week.
He attempted to raise the matter via a point of order, telling her: 'Following your decision to remove me from the chamber last Thursday, I have made several requests to meet with you to discuss this. So far you have refused all requests.'
Ms Johnstone responded that this was 'not a point of order' and instructed him to sit down.
Mr Ross persisted, saying that under parliamentary rules the Presiding Officer 'must act in a neutral manner'.
As the two spoke over each other, Ms Johnstone said: 'I have acted in a neutral manner. I have addressed the point of order on Thursday. I am not continuing to have a dialogue about when I am meeting you in the chamber.'
She added that she had not received a specific request to meet Mr Ross and insisted: 'I treat all members equally.'
Further attempts by Mr Ross to raise points of order were dismissed, with Ms Johnstone saying it was necessary to move on to other business.
"Mr Ross, please sit down. I have acted in a neutral manner."@Douglas4Moray attempts to raise his dismissal from the chamber during last week's #FMQs with Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone. — Holyrood (@HolyroodDaily) June 3, 2025
Later on Tuesday, Mr Ross issued a statement saying: 'This latest exchange has left me with even greater concerns about the approach taken by the Presiding Officer in the chamber.
'If she or her office are going to repeatedly reject requests for a private meeting, then I have no option but to raise this in parliament.
'Given how she responded, I believe that there are further serious questions for her to answer as a matter of urgency.
'Either the Presiding Officer is completely unaware of these requests being turned down on her behalf, or she has misled parliament and should correct the record.'
Last week, the former Tory leader accused Ms Johnstone of constitutional bias, suggesting she treats pro-union parties more harshly than those who supported independence in the 2014 referendum.
The row followed an exchange in which Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay challenged the First Minister on the impact of net zero policies on agriculture. In response, Mr Swinney blamed Brexit for harming farmers, prompting Mr Ross to shout: 'Swinney deflecting again.'
Ms Johnstone then paused proceedings: 'Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders and I would ask you to leave this chamber. You are excluded for the rest of the day.'
Mr Ross initially refused to leave, forcing proceedings to pause again until he departed.
Ms Johnstone was elected as a Scottish Green MSP in 2021 but surrendered her party membership after becoming Presiding Officer.
On Friday, First Minister John Swinney defended the Presiding Officer, saying she had a difficult job and 'always acts impartially' in upholding the chamber's rules.
At the time, a Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: "The Presiding Officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the Chamber.
'Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the Member was asked to leave the Chamber. This suspension is for the remainder of the day.'
