DOUGLAS Ross had hoped to set alarm bells ringing in Holyrood with his keynote speech to the Policy Exchange think tank.
But instead it was the Scottish Tory leader who was left shaken after his address was interrupted in humiliating fashion by a fire alarm.
The Moray MP was nearing the end of a speech in which he warned about the threat to the Union and launched scathing attacks on the independence movement.
As he outlined his vision for quelling a surge in support for a Yes vote, an unexpected alarm stopped him in his tracks.
The speech, for centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, was broadcast live online.
Having waited for the noise to subside, Ross said: "That's not a signal that my speech has gone on too long. That's the weekly fire alarm drill I believe."
The Scottish Tory chief called for the UK Government to "immediately" guarantee the furlough scheme will be extended in Scotland if the country is forced into a second lockdown.
He argued that devolution has been "found wanting" during the coronavirus crisis and the pandemic has "exposed its weakest points".
"The Covid-19 crisis has put the structures for interaction between the UK Government, devolved administrations and indeed the English mayoralties to the ultimate test,” Ross said.
"And I think that even the most committed defender of the current system would admit that they have been found wanting."
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