London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Scotland becoming smaller under SNP - Douglas Ross

Scotland becoming smaller under SNP - Douglas Ross

Scotland must shake off the "dead hand of nationalism" if it is to avoid becoming increasingly bitter and inward looking, the Scottish Conservative leader has said.

Douglas Ross told the party's conference in Aberdeen that he grew up in a Scotland that was confident and outward looking.

But he argued that Scotland was now divided against itself.

He said the country was becoming "smaller every day" under the SNP.

Mr Ross missed the weekly First Minister's Questions session in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday because of a bad throat - but was well enough to deliver his speech.

He welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the conference on Friday afternoon, with the two men shaking hands on stage ahead of Mr Johnson's speech.

Mr Ross called for the PM to step down earlier this year over lockdown parties in Downing Street - but withdrew that last week, saying the row should be "put on pause" because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He said the only person who would benefit from Mr Johnson being removed from office would be Vladimir Putin.

But his comments were condemned by political opponents, with SNP MP Ian Blackford describing it as an "utterly humiliating u-turn" and Labour leader Anas Sarwar saying Mr Ross "should not be using the Ukraine crisis to go back on his principles".

Mr Ross shook hands with the prime minister at the conference on Friday despite calling for him to quit two months ago


In his speech, Mr Ross asked whether anyone would say that Scotland is a better place today than it was when the SNP first came to power in 2007.

He said: "The nation I grew up in was confident and outward looking, yet the nation my children grow up in today is far more bitter and inward-facing.

"That isn't a record that any government should be proud of - Scotland is becoming a smaller country every day that the SNP remain in power.

"We are becoming worse off, both economically and intellectually, because we are stuck with a government that won't take any responsibility."

He also called on Tory activists to "bring together the silent majority of working people to end this stalemate" and provide a real alternative for people who are "fed up with the last 15 years of SNP stagnation".

'Referendum obsession'


He said that this alternative would "end the referendum obsession" and "take back Scotland from the SNP and allow us all to move forward together".

The two-day Scottish Conservative conference has seen the party call for the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) to be scrapped in Scotland's schools.

And it has unveiled plans to bring forward a bill in the Scottish Parliament that would create a register of domestic abusers.

The database would work in a similar manner to the sex offenders register, with police or local authorities being able to take action if a risk was identified.


We've got used to the Scottish Conservatives going into elections - not to win - but to retain second place. That was the case at last year's Holyrood election. It will be again at the council elections in May.

What has changed is that Douglas Ross has set a much greater ambition for the future - to replace Nicola Sturgeon as first minister in 2026.

That might sound far-fetched. The gap between the parties is huge and Mr Ross accepts a political mountain lies ahead. He is also aware of the potential for his UK party leader and the partygate scandal to drag down Scottish Tory fortunes.

That is why Boris Johnson got no mention, never mind an endorsement in this speech, even if Douglas Ross has dropped calls for the PM's resignation.


Mr Ross said it is time for Scotland to move on from its "referendum obsession"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×