Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross 'not a big figure', says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Amid the Downing Street party scandal, Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that Douglas Ross – who has told Boris Johnson to resign – ‘is not a big figure’.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The leader of the House of Commons instead named Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland, as a ‘really serious and senior figure’.

Rees-Mogg’s comments come as Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross told Boris Johnson he must resign after the Prime Minister admitted attending a lockdown party in Downing Street.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In an interview with LBC, Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "I don’t think it’s a surprise Douglas Ross takes this view.

"He’s never been a supporter of the Prime Minister. He has constantly made disobliging comments about the Prime Minister.

"I don’t think Douglas Ross is a big figure. I think Alister Jack is a really serious and senior figure.

"He has been constantly in opposition to the Prime Minister”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Addressing Rees-Mogg’s comments, Ian Blackford MP said: “That’s what senior Tories think of their Scottish branch office manager - imagine what they think of the rest of us.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that Douglas Ross – who has told Boris Johnson to resign – ‘is not a big figure’.Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that Douglas Ross – who has told Boris Johnson to resign – ‘is not a big figure’.
Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that Douglas Ross – who has told Boris Johnson to resign – ‘is not a big figure’.

"It’s time for Scotland to be an independent country - and escape the arrogant, corrupt and broken Westminster system for good.”

The SNP Westminster group leader also accused Michael Gove of ‘belittling’ his fellow Conservative colleague Douglas Ross after it was reported that he told the 1922 committee that Mr Ross ‘is in Elgin’ when asked about his recent stance on the Prime Minister resigning.

Mr Gove stated: “My instant response is he’s in Elgin and the national Tory leader is in London.”

Read More
Douglas Ross tells Boris Johnson to resign after the Prime Minister admitted att...
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Blackford said: “This snide and arrogant remark from Michael Gove, belittling Douglas Ross, underlines the disdain senior Tories hold for Scotland.

"That they dismiss the views of their own branch office so easily is yet another telling insight into the appalling Westminster attitude to Scotland.”

The fall out follows Boris Johnson telling MPs he had attended a “bring your own booze” gathering in the garden of No.10 on May 20, 2020 – during the UK’s first lockdown – for around 25 minutes to “thank groups of staff”.

Mr Johnson, who made the admission at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday despite having previously denied all knowledge of the party, insisted he believed it had been a “work event” as he acknowledged the public “rage” over the incident.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.