SCOTTISH Tory leader Douglas Ross does not appear on the front of his own party’s election campaign leaflets, it has emerged.

Ruth Davidson, who previously held the position and is leaving Holyrood for the Lords, is the face of a Tory flyer received in at least two constituencies, while Ross’s picture is only included inside.

Part-time referee Ross has had a challenging start to the election period, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson appearing to call him “Murray Ross” in the House of Commons just weeks ago.

READ MORE: WATCH: Boris Johnson appears to call Douglas Ross by wrong name in Commons

The latest election polling shows he will take his party into third place, with Labour becoming the largest opposition in the Scottish Parliament.

Ross’s performance in the first leaders’ debate of the campaign was also widely panned, with even Conservative supporters arguing he needed to do more than reject a second independence referendum.

During the BBC debate Ross constantly brought up his party’s stance on independence, including during a section on online abuse. His repetition led Labour’s Anas Sarwar to tell him to “grow up” in a memorable moment from the programme.

The Daily Record confirmed that voters in Strathkelvin and Bearsden, and Dumbarton, have received the flyer relegating Ross to the inner pages.

The front page shows Ruth Davidson at the top, beside text reading: “Inside: Ruth Davidson on how to stop the SNP and another referendum here”.

Below, bold text states: “End division. No referendum. Rebuild Scotland.”

The National:

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie poked fun at the leaflet. “Douglas Ross is used to spending time on the sidelines - but it’s now clear even his own party thinks he should be put on the subs bench,” she said.

The party’s decision to focus on Davidson may be linked to her approval ratings – she consistently polls better than their current leader Ross.

Tony Giugliano, who is standing for the SNP in Dumbarton, said the Tory hopeful in the constituency had “chosen to namecheck Baroness Davidson before she slopes off to the unelected Lords to distance himself from the unmentionable Douglas Ross”.

He went on: “People in Dumbarton and across Scotland face a choice, whether to put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands or the hands of Boris Johnson.”

READ MORE: Douglas Ross tricked into saying inappropriate comment during Facebook Live Q&A

A spokesperson for the Scottish Tories said: “As leader of Scotland’s largest opposition party, Douglas Ross will continue fighting against the SNP’s divisive referendum plans while weak Labour would rather play silly games.”

Ross took up leadership of the Scottish Tories last summer, replacing Jackson Carlaw. A poll conducted under Carlaw’s lead put the Tories on track to win 20% of the votes at the upcoming election. Tory polling has changed little since Ross took over.