Scottish Tory MPs fail to speak out against Boris Johnson as resignation calls ramp up

Douglas Ross has flip-flopped on his support for the Prime Minister, calling for him to go, then deciding the Ukraine war was more pressing.

Last week after Sue Gray’s partygate publication came out he suggested Johnson could resign when the Ukraine conflict ends, but continued to argue against a leadership change during this time.

His bizarre turnaround led one of his own MSPs to say Ross has left the party in a “f****** mess”, and another described the position as “unsustainable”.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson faces no-confidence vote risk as more Tory MPs call for his resignation

Several Tory MSPs said on the record that Gray’s damning findings show Johnson needs to go.

Meanwhile, Ross’s five colleagues at Westminster have failed to speak out since the publication of the report.

Their silence comes as a steady stream of MPs demand Johnson step down for breaking his own rules.

Former Cabinet minister Dame Andrea Leadsom became the latest senior Tory to criticise Johnson for his “unacceptable failings of leadership”.

She stopped short of directly calling on Johnson to resign and did not say whether she had submitted a letter calling for a no confidence vote.

However, Carlisle MP John Stevenson became the latest backbencher to announce he had submitted a letter after Johnson did not respond to calls to put himself forward for a confidence vote by Tory MPs.

Former foreign secretary Lord Hague of Richmond said the Prime Minister is “in real trouble” and that Tory MPs are “moving towards having a ballot” on his leadership.

It’s thought around 30 MPs have now publicly demanded Johnson’s resignation.

Under party rules, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady must call a vote of confidence in Johnson’s leadership if 54 Tory MPs – 15% of the parliamentary party – submit a letter calling for one.

Speaking on Tuesday, Brady said he wouldn't speak on how many letters have been received "at the moment".

Here’s how things currently stand with Ross’s five Tory MPs, who are keeping quiet as things ramp up.

Andrew Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

Bowie joined Ross back in January in telling Johnson to consider his position following reports of lockdown-breaching parties across Number 10 and Whitehall. But when his Moray colleague U-turned, Bowie too changed his mind.

“Frankly, I think it would be incredibly naive and wrong of us right now to consider removing a leader who is taking such strong action in uniting the West against Vladimir Putin,” he said in March.

But since the Gray report came out last week, he’s pretty much kept quiet and focused on promoting local Jubilee events.

John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

Initially, Lamont said certain partygate events had been “completely unacceptable”. But pressed again in April, he defended the Tory leader’s position.

“My anger about these events at Downing Street during the lockdown is well known,” he told the Border Telegraph.

“However, at a time when Ukraine is facing aggression and acts of evil at the hands of Putin’s regime, now would not be the right time to remove the Prime Minister. The UK and the rest of the world should all be united in our efforts to support Ukraine, and defeat Putin.”

David Mundell, MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale

When asked about his views in April, the former Scottish secretary could not say whether or not he supported Johnson remaining in place.

“I remain of the view that this has been an extremely regrettable episode, which will understandably have angered many people across the country, myself included, who for months diligently followed the Covid regulations put in place,” he said.

The MP, who was axed as Scottish secretary by Johnson in 2019, said he would await the outcome of the Gray report.

David Duguid, MP for Banff and Buchan

The former Scotland Office minister has said little about Johnson’s rule-breaking, and previously called for Gray’s inquiry to be completed so the facts could be made public. However, since that report came out, he has stayed quiet.

In January, Duguid said: “I fully understand the anger many people feel about the events in Downing Street, at a time when the whole country was under severe restrictions due to the pandemic.

“We’ve all had to make sacrifices to protect ourselves from this virus.

“A comprehensive investigation into what happened is under way and I believe Sue Gray should be allowed to complete her inquiry so the full facts can be established.”

Alister Jack, MP for Dumfries and Galloway

The Scottish Secretary has remained loyal to the Prime Minister throughout the partygate scandal.

Just last week he issued his full support to Johnson, saying: “The Prime Minister has apologised again today, and made clear that he takes full responsibility for what went on in No 10.

“Lessons have been learned and changes have been made within No 10.

“The Prime Minister has my full support. He is tackling the rising cost of living at home and leading the international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Now, we all need to get behind him and back him in dealing with these important issues.”

"Spineless six"

Mhairi Black, the SNP's shadow Scotland secretary, called out the MPs for their failure to act.

"The spineless six Scottish Tory MPs need to step up and do the right thing by submitting their letters of no confidence in this partygate Prime Minister," she told The National.

“Boris Johnson broke the law - the only sitting Prime Minister to do so in history - and he must be held accountable. It’s shameful that so far Douglas Ross, Alister Jack and the rest of them have stuck their heads in the sand over this.”

Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay added that while predictable, the Tories' lack of action is "pathetic".

"The Conservatives are completely devoid of principle, as demonstrated aptly by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross who has now held at least three different positions on the binary question of whether the Prime Minister should remain in office," she said.