AFTER earning an estimated £1400 for running the line in Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night when Universal Credit was being debated in Westminster, refereeing MP Douglas Ross has been asked to donate his fee to his local food bank.

The SNP have called on the Tory MP for Moray to donate the money after he was criticised by the local food bank and cross-party MPs for doing his self-described “hobby” and missing the debate and vote which saw the Conservatives abstain en masse on the issue of stopping the roll-out of Universal Credit.

According to the SNP: “The Chair of the local food bank said they felt “let down” after taking the time to brief the MP on the damaging impact of Universal Credit – which was partially rolled out in Moray in November 2015, and has seen people forced to rely on emergency aid and food parcels.”

Questions are also now being raised about Ross’s official Parliamentary Register of Interests. The National can reveal that Ross has claimed that he only works “1.5 hours” at a football match, but in the two European games at which he has officiated this season, governing body UEFA insisted that refereeing teams be available to be at a match venue from 5pm on the day prior to a game until the morning after it — a minimum of 36 hours.

On the call to donate his fee, SNP MP Drew Hendry said: “If Douglas Ross had turned up to the Universal Credit debate on Wednesday, he would have heard countless politicians, from all parties, relate harrowing stories from their constituents being driven into hardship, hunger and rent arrears by the botched roll-out of Universal Credit – but he thought his time was better-spent rubbing shoulders with big-name footballers and raking in lucrative earnings from his second job.

“Ironically, if Mr Ross was himself a DWP client, he would likely have been sanctioned for his behaviour on Wednesday. He should apologise and sanction himself by donating the money he earned to his local food bank, which some of his constituents are having to rely on because of his party’s cruel policies.

“Tory MPs have never looked and sounded so out of touch with reality as they did in the debate over Universal Credit — and it is shameful that even among those who bothered to turn up to parliament, not a single Scottish Tory MP stood up for their constituents by opposing the disastrous roll-out.

“The Tory government must now call a halt to the roll-out of Universal Credit, and serial absentee Douglas Ross must call time on his highly lucrative refereeing career — which he previously pledged would not interfere with parliamentary duties.”

The Register of Interests show that for this season, Ross, a specialist assistant referee, earned £1305 from the Scottish Football Association for seven matches ranging from £97.50 for Buckie Thistle to £425 for Celtic v St Johnstone.

In addition he received £1436.35 from UEFA for the NK Domzale v Olympique de Marseille match in Slovenia in August.

Ross also received via his local and central party some £27,500 in donations for his election campaign, including £10,000 in total from “private donors” John Martin and Alasdair Laing.

The Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards insists that ‘gifts and benefits from sources outside the UK’ must be declared if they are ‘over £300 for the total of benefits of whatever size from the same source in a calendar year.’ The National asked Ross why he did not declare his flights, his stay in a four or five star hotel — as insisted upon by UEFA — and daily expenses of up to 200 Euros as benefits instead of lumping them into the fee which he declares.

Ross continually refers to his refereeing as a “hobby” – he told one reporter before his election in Moray: “I’ve made it very clear during this campaign that my footballing and refereeing hobby won’t impact on my Parliamentary duties.”

Yet when he was an MSP for a year, he stated on his register of interests: “I am self-employed as a specialist assistant football referee. I participate in approximately one game per week, plus training.

“I receive remuneration of between £35,001 and £40,000 per annum, which includes match fees and expenses for domestic matches and match fees and allowances for matches in Europe. This figure also includes benefits in kind of hotel accommodation and flights when participating in European matches.”

In reply to our questions about donating his fee, his register of interest and his “hobby”, a Scottish Conservative spokesman said last night: “Douglas has registered all of his interests in accordance with parliamentary rules.”

The National understands that senior figures in the SFA are concerned that Ross has brought “attention” to himself.