A GOVERNMENT minister has accused a Tory MSP of speaking “childishly” after he used a platform at the Scots Conservative conference to launch a personal attack.

Graham Simpson, a Tory representative from the Central Scotland list, was speaking at his party’s conference in Aberdeen on Saturday as he went on the offensive.

Simpson told conference that his role as shadow transport minister involved dealing with two ministers, Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth and Active Travel Minister Patrick Harvie.

While he did not offer criticism of Gilruth, the Tory MSP took the opportunity to attack his Green counterpart.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson panned for comparing war in Ukraine to voting for Brexit

“It's incredible to say he’s a government minister, but he is," Simpson said, saying the minister should "stop being a protester, which is what he is”.

“Patrick Harvie is a very thin-skinned individual. He does not take criticism well,” Simpson went on.

The Tory MSP further criticised Harvie for not having worn a helmet while riding his bicycle late last year, an issue which he had also brought up in Holyrood last week.

Responding at the time, Harvie said: “I, like every cyclist, make a decision for myself about whether a helmet is something that I wish to wear.

“And, like every other cyclist, I have angry drivers yelling out of their window, ‘wear a helmet’ at me when they should be paying attention to their responsibilities on the road.

“I deeply regret that Mr Simpson thinks it appropriate to bring that very same energy into the chamber.”

The National:

Asked what he thought of Simpson’s latest attack, the Green minister (above) told The National that Simpson “routinely” engaged in “childish name-calling”.

He said: “Most MSPs, whether I agree with them or not, take the privilege of speaking in the chamber of Scotland's Parliament seriously. Mr Simpson routinely uses it for nothing more than childish name-calling. When he decides to offer criticism with any substance to it, then I'll take it seriously.

“As for protest, I know the UK Government is trying to outlaw it at the moment, but protest is a vital part of democracy, and I'll never stop protesting against Tory policies and the harm they do.”

Harvie was seemingly referring to the Tories’ Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Concerns have been raised about measures in the proposed act, with more than 250,000 people signing a petition saying it represent “a dismantling of our civil liberties”.

In a debate held in the wake of that petition, Labour MP Kerry McCarthy said the bill gave police “powers to decide what is acceptable, what is troublesome, what is annoying and what is too noisy”.

Green MP Caroline Lucas claimed the bill “would have made Greta Thunberg, sitting alone with a placard, a potential criminal”.

The Tories deny the bill erodes the public’s right to protest, saying it “will enable the police to manage disruptive protests more effectively”