Jackson Carlaw urges Dominic Cummings to 'consider his position' after Scottish Tory rebellion

Jackson Carlaw has called for Dominic Cummings to "consider his position" after senior members of his Shadow Cabinet heaped pressure on him to get off the fence.

Speaking after Douglas Ross resigned as a Scotland Office Minister, the Scottish Tory leader said the furore over Mr Cummings' 260-mile trip to Durham during lockdown was "distracting away from the principle message and the fight against the virus".

He said he had told Downing Street that Mr Cummings should go but party insiders told the Telegraph that Mr Carlaw had not expressed this view earlier in the day.

Mr Carlaw had earlier issued a statement saying he "respected" Mr Ross's decision to quit over the behaviour of the Prime Minister's senior adviser, but did not say whether he agreed with it.

His authority was then undermined as a series of senior members of his frontbench team at Holyrood went public with their backing for Mr Ross and demands for Mr Cummings to quit.

Adam Tomkins, the party's strategy guru at Holyrood, described the Moray MP quitting as a "disaster" and said: "It shows exactly why Cummings should be sacked. I suspect others will follow where Douglas has led."

Donald Cameron, Mr Carlaw's Shadow Finance Minister, praised Mr Ross's decision to resign, tweeting: "Well done, my friend."

Finlay Carson, the Tory MSP for the Galloway and West Dumfries, said Mr Cummings' position was "untenable" and it emerged Murdo Fraser, the Shadow Constitution Minister, wanted him to stand down.

Liz Smith, the Scottish Tory Chief Whip, also called for him to resign after being contacted by more than 200 angry constituents on Monday, many of whom had been unable to visit loved ones in care homes or on their deathbeds.

But Michelle Ballantyne, who stood against Mr Carlaw for the leadership, told ITV Border Mr Cummings was being hounded and "the Scottish Government are loving this as they are no longer being held to account for the things that are going wrong."

The groundswell of Scottish Tory opposition came amid questions over Mr Carlaw's leadership, with some of his senior colleagues attacking him over his "craven" support for the Prime Minister.

Some were said to be furious over a bland statement he issued when the Cummings furore broke on Sunday stating it was a situation for the Prime Minister to judge.

The Spectator reported that one senior Tory accused him of being focused on "not rocking the boat with London so he can collect a knighthood or peerage in a couple of years."

Insiders said the party's grassroots members were also extremely angry about Mr Cummings' "cavalier behaviour", especially those who have stayed home instead of visiting relatives in poor health.

Asked if the Prime Minister should sack him if he does not quit, Mr Carlaw told STV News: "I'm not going to issue instructions to the Prime Minister.

"But given the furore, given the distraction this is, given the distraction of the Prime Minister on this issue, if I were Mr Cummings I would be considering my position.

"I think it is a distraction to the Prime Minister, I think it is diluting the message, I think all across the country our focus has to be on tackling the virus."

Among the other senior MSPs who earlier made clear their opposition to Mr Cummings staying on was Graham Simpson, the Shadow Housing Minister, who said he "didn't follow the advice that his own government, in which he is the key adviser, issued."

Ruth Davidson, Mr Carlaw's predecessor, did not make public her views but it is understood she made private representations to senior party and government figures last weekend.

Mr Jack said: "I would like to thank Douglas Ross for his contribution as a minister at the Scotland Office. I know he will continue to be a dedicated and hard-working constituency MP for Moray."

George Adam, an SNP MSP, said: "It is only under extreme public pressure, and a mutiny among his own ranks, that Jackson Carlaw conceded that the UK government should be held to the same standards he expects of others.

“That is an appalling lack of courage and of leadership that won’t be forgotten – and which leaves his authority within his own party and parliamentary group fatally undermined.”

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