Douglas Ross has announced he is stepping down as leader of the Scottish Conservatives after the 4 July election.

It comes following criticism over the deselection of David Duguid as a general election candidate as well as amid reports Mr Ross used Westminster expenses to travel in his role as a football linesman.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Ross said: “I have served as MP, MSP and leader for over three years now and believed I could continue to do so if re-elected to Westminster, but on reflection, that is not feasible.

“I am committed to fighting and winning the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency. Should I be given the honour to represent the people and communities of this new seat, they should know being their MP would receive my complete focus and attention.

“I will therefore stand down as leader following the election on July 4, once a successor is elected. Should I win the seat, I will also stand down as an MSP to make way for another Scottish Conservative representative in Holyrood.

“My party has a chance to beat the SNP in key seats up and down Scotland, including in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East. We must now come together and fully focus on doing exactly that.”

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Tory chairman Richard Holden dodges questions about being ‘parachuted into safe seat’

Sunak ally Stride does his boss no favours in response to question about PM’s future

General election: Media not ‘allowed anywhere near’ Sunak during weekend campaigning after ‘farcical’ D-Day fiasco

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Related posts:

Charles and Camilla visit tributes to Prince Philip in first joint appearance since duke’s death NHS Hospital that upgraded COVID staff’s face masks ‘cut ward-based infection to zero’ Ex-Paralympian convicted of causing public nuisance after gluing himself to plane ‘COVID is still out there’: PM says our position is ‘challenging’ – amid warning over Delta variant in winter Efforts to eradicate a debilitating parasite are being hampered by dogs eating infected fish Man arrested for murder after four people stabbed to death in London Archbishop to miss Jubilee service after catching COVID and pneumonia Stalker ‘obsessed’ with Emily Maitlis jailed again after 20th attempt to break restraining order Rugby union coaches and players split over new rules on height of tackles ahead of Six Nations Tony Blair and William Hague call for everyone to have digital ID cards Child among those injured after bus roof torn off in bridge crash Most motorists want noise cameras installed to clamp down on loud cars