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POLL: Moray reaction as Douglas Ross and Conservatives table a Vote of No Confidence in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon


By Jonathan Clark

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THE Scottish Conservatives last night tabled a motion of no confidence in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, with party leader Douglas Ross saying she "must resign".

The Tories have also tabled a motion of no confidence in Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

It comes after the Scottish Government's legal advice on the battle with Alex Salmond was released, showing ministers were warned they were likely to lose the case but took it on anyway.

Mr Salmond was awarded more than £500,000 in damages as a result.

Ms Sturgeon is currently giving evidence on the case and earlier said the government made a "very serious mistake".

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

If not for that mistake, she said, it is not known who would have won the review.

Moray MP Douglas Ross said: "Credible witnesses have now backed up Salmond’s claims and the legal advice shows the government knew months in advance that the judicial review was doomed but they still went on to waste more than £500,000 of taxpayers’ money.

"There is no longer any doubt that Nicola Sturgeon lied to the Scottish Parliament and broke the Ministerial Code on numerous counts.

Tory leader Douglas Ross MP.
Tory leader Douglas Ross MP.

"No First Minister can be allowed to mislead the Scottish people and continue in office, especially when they have tried to cover up the truth and abused the power of their office in the process.

"Nicola Sturgeon must resign. No evidence she can provide will counter the claims of numerous witnesses or refute that her government ignored legal advice."

Moray's SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said the timing of the vote of no confidence, before Ms Sturgeon appeared before committee and with the country in the midst of a pandemic, has "disgusted" many constituents.

He said: “Douglas Ross and the Tories were calling for resignations before the First Minister even appeared before the parliamentary committee investigating the Scottish Government’s handling of the sexual harassment complaints process.

“The fact that she hadn’t even had the opportunity for her side of the story to be heard and that we need to await the committee’s publication of its conclusions speaks volumes about the Tories’ real motives behind their parliamentary manoeuvres.

MSP Richard Lochhead.
MSP Richard Lochhead.

"Many constituents have also expressed disgust at the Tories because they have chosen to focus on bringing down the First Minister when she is steering the country through the current pandemic which is the biggest issue in most people’s lives at the moment.

“It also speaks volumes that Douglas Ross has stayed silent on many of the issues in the headlines about the conduct of his own Government’s ministers in Westminster.

"This hypocrisy and these double standards is not lost on the people of Moray. ”


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