Douglas Ross vows to quit as football referee if he becomes First Minister

The new leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said he will quit as a football referee if he becomes First Minister.

Douglas Ross, who is an elite-level linesman who has officiated international and Champions League fixtures, has vowed to continue with referring as party leader, a position he won unopposed on Wednesday.

However, he revealed on Friday that he would “hang up his boots” should he replace Nicola Sturgeon in Bute House, as he said his presence as an official at matches would cause problems for the police.

"I've made it clear I want to continue refereeing... that is something that I plan to do as leader of the Scottish Conservatives," he told journalists.

"I can officially announce that if I am elected First Minister of Scotland, much to the great delight of football fans across Scotland - and this may help me get to that ultimate office - then I would give up refereeing as First Minister."

He added: "In my view, enough pressure is on the clubs, match commanders and police to ensure everything is done as safely as possible in our stadiums.

"I think an added element of potentially one of the match officials being First Minister of Scotland does add unnecessary strain to an already hostile and difficult environment.

"I think it would make sense at that stage for me to hang up my boots."

Mr Ross’s refereeing has been a source of controversy in the past, with the SNP regularly attacking him for his “second job”. However, he has insisted that it helps voters relate to him, and that they will regularly want to talk about football before moving on to politics.

An MP who will seek a Holyrood seat at next May's elections, he stopped officiating when parliament is in session, after he was criticised for missing Commons votes. However, he has continued at weekends and in recess.

Earlier this month, he told The Daily Telegraph: “All politicians need time off. Some like to read books, some like to go hill walking, I have a slightly more obscure way of getting release from this job and that is officiating a football match. It’s been a large part of my life, and I want to continue.”