DOUGLAS Ross has failed to name one attribute of Boris Johnson’s and admitted he is “angry” about the Downing Street Christmas party revelations.
The Scottish Tory leader was probed on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show over the leaked image, reported by the Sunday Mirror, which shows the Prime Minister taking part in a Christmas quiz.
The photograph shows Johnson sitting in front of a laptop in No 10 flanked by one aide wearing tinsel and another in a Christmas hat.
It comes after the Prime Minister denied that he was aware of any parties taking place in Downing Street last year, and asked Simon Case, head of the civil service, to investigate the festive party allegations.
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But now, with the damning image released, Ross refused to defend his party leader.
He said:” It causes me no difficulty at all to call out irresponsible behaviour that potentially causes a huge impact in terms of compliance by the rest of the public to follow government advice.
So that’s one still picture, we need to get more information, but if as it portrays there was a party in Downing Street that the Prime Minister attended then I’m not going to defend that, it is absolutely the wrong thing to do.
“When everyone else here in Scotland and across the UK were not having these parties, they were following the guidance to the letter of the law to suppress this virus.”
The Sunday Mirror front page had an exclusive photo of Johnson at a Christmas quiz
Ross was asked three times if he could name an attribute of the Prime Minister by BBC journalist Martin Geissler.
The Scottish Tory leader said: “Well, he is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom as many countries across the world are facing very difficult times …”
Asked again to name an attribute, Ross said: “Well I’m trying to explain Martin, we are going through a very difficult time but I’m saying all that along with saying that he needs to answer very serious questions, not just about what’s in the paper’s today.”
Ross was pushed to name an attribute but only responded with Johnson’s job title and description.
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He said: “He’s [Johnson] the leader of the main party of the United Kingdom Parliament and he is the Prime Minister who has been elected to lead the country, but that does not mean he or his officials are allowed to do what they want without any scrutiny.
“And that scrutiny will come from all sides including myself here in Scotland.”
Geissler told Ross that he was trying to “encourage” him to discuss the Prime Minister’s good qualities and that it was “telling” he couldn’t find any.
To which Ross said: “Well, Martin, you’re asking me about what he’s doing as Prime Minister and I’m saying he’s leading the country at the moment …”
Ross didn't defend Johnson and couldn't name an attribute of the PM
Geissler then noted it should be an “easy question” to answer.
Ross replied: “Obviously good enough qualities to have an 80 seat majority, but that 80 seat majority does not allow you to do whatever you want with your officials in Number 10.”
It comes as Ross said earlier in the interview that he had been angered by the revelations.
He said: “I’m angry with everyone, I mean just look at these pictures, look at people laughing about parties in Downing Street and how they would cover it up.
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“The whole thing does make me angry and it makes me angry because I know that people I represent here in Moray and across the Highlands and Islands followed that guidance to the letter of the law because they were told to do it in the national interest.
“And if the people telling them to do that couldn’t follow that guidance then we are right to be angry at them.”
Ross was also asked if he still believed Johnson was the right person to lead the Conservative party.
He added: “I believe he’s the right person to lead the country at a time of very difficult circumstances while we are dealing with this new variant but that doesn’t dismiss my serious concerns that there are questions that must be answered and a number of questions that need serious answers. That’s what I’m looking for, I’ve been calling for that all week.”
Johnson has so far not made a comment on the photograph
Ross added that there needed to be “clarity” over what has happened in Downing Street.
He said: “We need to be honest with the public about what happened, why it happened and what has been said since then because the public are rightly angry.
“I’m angry, my family didn’t have the Christmas we expected last year, it looks like there’s a possibility that we won’t have the Christmas we expected this year and the public rightly expect those at the top of government, and their advisers, to follow the rules that they themselves wrote.”
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