LONDON — Douglas Ross has been appointed leader of the Scottish Conservatives, taking over from Jackson Carlaw, who resigned last week.
Ross, the MP for Moray, tweeted Wednesday that becoming leader “is the honour and privilege of a lifetime.”
“Now our focus must turn to earning the trust of people looking for a positive and credible alternative for Scotland, and who want a fresh start for our country. I hope you’ll join us,” he said.
Ross, 37, was one of a small number of Scottish Conservative MPs to retain his seat in December’s general election, which saw the re-emergence of the Scottish National Party. He was first elected to the House of Commons at the 2017 general election, defeating SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson.
Under the Boris Johnson government, Ross served as parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland, albeit for just six months. He resigned in May in protest at Dominic Cummings remaining Johnson’s chief adviser following his controversial trip to Barnard Castle during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ross is also a qualified football referee and has worked as an assistant referee at Scottish Cup finals and Champions League matches.
In a piece for the Scottish Daily Mail published Tuesday, Ross pledged to protect the union and “push back hard” against the SNP.
The SNP’s deputy leader Keith Brown criticized his appointment, saying Westminster has launched a “total takeover of the Scottish Tories and installed a Brexit-backing MP to act as a puppet for Downing Street.”
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