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Ex-Tory leader Douglas Ross to stand down as MSP

Angus Cochrane
BBC Scotland News
Getty Images A man with dark, wearing a dark blue suit and tie, speaks with his right hand raised in front of him. He is standing in front of a Scottish Conservative-branded background Getty Images
Douglas Ross stepped down as party leader after his decision to stand in last year's general election went down badly with colleagues

Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross is to stand down as an MSP at next year's Holyrood election.

The Highlands and Islands MSP confirmed he would seek to return to the UK Parliament, where he previously served as MP for Moray.

Ross resigned as party leader after his decision to stand in last summer's general election was criticised by colleagues.

He told BBC Scotland News he felt it would be "wrong" to seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament while he intends to stand at the next general election, scheduled for 2029.

The MSP said he he would "take on board some of the criticisms" he had received in the past for holding several jobs at the same time.

"I've listened to that, learned from that and decided this was the right decision to take," Ross said.

The former Scottish Tory leader said he would focus on his constituency work and support his successor Russell Findlay to return Conservative MSPs at next year's Holyrood election.

Ross said that over the course of his Holyrood career he had made "plenty of mistakes", but said he had also taken a "great deal of enjoyment" from the role.

PA Media A man with dark hair jogs across a football pitch while holding a fluorescent referee's flag and red and black refereeing uniform. Footballer players, a stand and goal posts can be seen in the background. PA Media
Ross has previously been criticised for holding dual roles at Holyrood and Westminster while being a professional football assistant referee

The MSP angered colleagues ahead of last year's general election after announcing he would stand for the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat instead of party colleague David Duguid, who had been ill in hospital and was effectively de-selected.

Ross initially insisted he could continue to serve as an MSP, MP and party leader. He later said he realised it would not be "feasible".

After losing out to the SNP in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, Ross stepped down as party leader after four years in the role.

He has been an MSP for the Highlands and Islands region since 2016.

Until last summer he was MP for Moray, having ousted former SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson in a shock victory in 2017.

Ross, who is also a professional football assistant referee, was branded "three jobs" by his opponents during his time as Scottish Conservative leader.

Findlay thanked his predecessor "for all that he has achieved for our party", citing a record number of votes for the Tories in the 2021 Holyrood election.

He added that Ross "remains committed to standing up for the people of Moray, as he has throughout his career".

More than 30 MSPs have announced they will not seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament in May 2026.

The departing cohort includes former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, as well as ex-Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard.

Correspondent box

It would not have been ideal for Douglas Ross to have sought re-election to the Scottish Parliament next year.

He made perfectly clear at last summer's UK general election that his preference was to return to Westminster and stand down from Holyrood.

When he failed to win a Westminster seat, he was left serving in a parliament that was obviously his second choice.

To be fair, since then and having stood down as Scottish Conservative leader, he has been an energetic backbench MSP.

He has seemed to enjoy questioning the government in this role and last week took bosses from Dundee University to task over their funding crisis at a parliamentary committee.

Ross has made clear he will seek to restart his career in elected politics at the next UK election.

In the meantime, a politician often teased for having multiple jobs as MP, MSP, party leader and football match official, appears to be preparing for a period on the sidelines of politics to plot his comeback.