DOUGLAS Ross repeatedly dodged questions on Tory government sleaze – but admitted “serious questions” need to be answered over lobbying rules.

The Scottish Tory leader was grilled on the unfolding claims coming from Westminster by journalist Martin Geissler on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday Show yesterday morning.

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon said a full public inquiry into cronyism allegations in Westminster is now “absolutely necessary”.

Asked if he agreed with sacked former Tory minister Johnny Mercer, who described Westminster as a “cesspit”, Ross said: “I also sit alongside Johnny Mercer and I’ve spoken to him since he resigned and I have a different interpretation of how government works and how the Government works.”

When pushed on his views on the ongoing saga, and if the Westminster Tories have “hobbled” his own party due to a reputation of being “filled with people who practice sleaze”, Ross dodged the question.

He said: “You’ll understand I’m sure Martin that these accusations have also been levelled at Scottish Ministers in terms of lobbying and meetings that haven’t been declared ...”

Geissler interrupted and probed Ross on his response and asked if it was a case of “as bad as each other”.

Ross said: “Martin, there is a situation here where we know Scottish Government ministers have met with key lobbyists without Scottish Government officials present and it’s important we get to the bottom of that.

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“But I’ve been absolutely upfront and honest about this, there are serious questions that need to be answered with the lobbying allegations and that’s why there are now I believe eight separate inquiries including a number of UK parliament select committees looking into this and I know they will drill down and get the answers that people rightly expect and deserve.”

And, asked if there should be a full independent investigation into the PM’s actions, Ross said: “Well I think as I say, there’s eight separate inquiries under way at the moment, they will report and I think people will look very closely at the findings of those eight individual separate inquiries.”

It comes after Boris Johnson’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings launched a scathing attack on the PM in a blog post on Friday night.

Number 10 sources had accused Cummings of leaking private texts between Johnson and James Dyson, in which the PM said he would “fix” a tax issue for the billionaire Brexiteer if he brought staff from Singapore to the UK to make ventilators for the NHS.

It was reported that Johnson himself personally called newspaper editors and blamed Cummings for the leak, which his former ally vehemently denied before making his own claims.

Cummings claims the PM tried to halt the investigation into the leak of lockdown plans last year after being warned that a friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds could be implicated, and that the Tory leader attempted an “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal” plan to get Tory donors to fund a lavish refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.

The latest revelations came as former PM David Cameron is at the centre of the UK’s biggest lobbying scandal in a decade.

Cameron pushed central bank officials on behalf of now-defunct Greensill Capital through texts, meetings and emails throughout the pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon said last week: “I have to say the stench of sleaze that is surrounding this UK Tory government now is becoming quite overpowering.”