THE SNP have called for Douglas Ross to clarify “unanswered” questions about nearly £30,000 of earnings he “forgot” to declare – including whether he will resign if he is found to have breached the rules.

The MP and Scottish Tory leader failed to declare nearly £7000 from refereeing 16 football matches from October 2020 to January 2021 on Westminster’s register of interests, along with his Holyrood salary of £21,000.

He referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone and last week it emerged he will face investigation.

The SNP have now called for the Tory MSP to provide “clear and unequivocal answers” to a series of questions, including whether he will also refer himself for an equivalent investigation at the Scottish Parliament. Ross is also being urged to “categorically confirm” there are no further outstanding earnings he has failed to declare at Westminster or Holyrood.

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He has also been asked to clarify if he will resign if he is found to have breached the rules governing the behaviour of MPs and MSPs.

The SNP also questioned the benefits of his role as an MP, pointing to the Scottish Tories’ U-turn on drug consumption rooms in Scotland last month, when Ross said his party would not oppose it – and neither should the UK Government.

With no sign of UK ministers changing their stance, this shows “his attendance at Westminster apparently carries no weight with his Government colleagues”, the party said.

The SNP also called for an explanation of the commitment to the job Tory parliamentarians have to meet, saying its MSPs have to sign a standing order stating that they will “treat their position as a full-time commitment with an attendance and work rate commensurate with that status”.

SNP MSP Rona Mackay said: “We are now more than three weeks on from the bombshell revelations that Douglas Ross ‘forgot’ to declare almost £30,000 in earnings – more than a whole year’s pay for the average Scot.

“We have since learned that while his memory failed him over money coming in, miraculously he kept track of money going out so he could claim back expenses from the public purse.

“There is still a substantial number of outstanding issues that 

Douglas Ross has failed to address with any degree of transparency and clarity. The voters he is supposed to represent deserve answers.”

She added: “As it stands, he is brazenly insulting them by claiming he forgot almost £30,000 while cruelly supporting the punishment of some of his own struggling constituents by cutting crucial benefits like the £20 Universal Credit lifeline.

“If a hard-pressed mum misses an appointment with the DWP, despite presenting legitimate reasons for absence, they face instant and punitive sanctions that plunge entire families deeper into poverty.

“Douglas Ross and his corrupt Tory cronies clearly hold these families to a higher standard than they apply to themselves.

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“After more than three weeks to reflect, during which time a series of other revelations about his financial affairs have come out of the woodwork, it’s way past time for Douglas Ross to front up and provide clear answers to the outstanding questions over his conduct. The people of Scotland deserve no less.”  

When the story emerged, Ross apologised, saying it was a “bad error” and he did not know why it had happened. His earnings as an MSP – for which he receives a partial annual salary – are donated to charity.

It later also emerged he had claimed taxpayer-funded expenses on a day when he forgot to declare earnings as a referee.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “Douglas referred himself to the independent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner for investigation and he has made clear that he will support the conclusion she reaches.”