Scottish Tory leader says Johnson must go if he has lied to parliament
Douglas Ross wants the PM to come clean on whether or not he was at a lockdown-breaching party in the Downing Street garden
The Scottish Conservative leader has told MFR News that Boris Johnson will need to resign if he is found to have broken the law or misled parliament.
Douglas Ross says he feels “furious” following the latest allegations of a drinks reception at Downing Street at the height of the first lockdown, which it is claimed was attended by the Prime Minister and his wife.
The MP for Moray says Mr Johnson needs to confirm whether or not that’s true “right now”.
Asked if Boris Johnson should resign, Mr Ross repeated his position that the Prime Minister could not continue if he is found to have misled Parliament.
Other opposition parties at the Scottish Parliament have called on Mr Ross to submit a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister.
Speaking at Holyrood, Mr Ross said he was disappointed Mr Johnson has not revealed whether he had attended the gathering or not.
Saying he felt "furious" when he heard reports of the party, he told the PA news agency: "I'm angry. I think that reflects what people across Scotland and the UK are feeling right now."
It would be "unacceptable" if people were enjoying the sunshine in the back garden of Number 10 while strict restrictions were in place, he said.
"Was he at the party or not"
Saying he supported Sue Gray's inquiry into the allegations, Mr Ross continued: "Nothing would undermine what Sue Gray is trying to do, for the Prime Minister to come out and answer a very simple question.
"Was he at the party or not?
"That wouldn't undermine her investigation or her inquiry but it would let the public know, one way or another."
A statement from the Prime Minister should already have been made, he said, adding: "It needed to happen last night. This email was publicly available yesterday evening.
"We've had all day today.
"It's definitely going to come up at Prime Minister's Questions tomorrow, so why not come forward, right now, and tell the public: was he at the party or not?"
"Any member who misleads parliament can't continue"
Asked if he thought the Prime Minister had misled parliament, Mr Ross said: "I think we've got to wait and see what his answer is.
"But I'm in no doubt that any member - whether the Prime Minister or otherwise - who deliberately misleads parliament cannot continue. They would have to resign and I've said that before now."
Earlier, former Scottish Tory leader Baroness Davidson asked "what tf were any of these people thinking?" regarding those who attended the party.
Both Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, have urged Douglas Ross to go a step further, and join the calls for the Prime Minister's resignation.