Ex-Scottish Tory leader eyes Westminster return as he prepares to leave Holyrood
Douglas Ross has confirmed he will not stand in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has announced he is to quit Holyrood – but he hopes to run again for Westminster.
Mr Ross said in such circumstances it is “right” that he does not stand in the Scottish Parliament election in May 2026.
He had planned to step down as an MSP if he had been re-elected to Westminster in the general election last July.
But in an election campaign which saw him dramatically quit as Scottish Tory leader part way through, he failed to hold on to the Moray seat he won from the SNP’s Angus Robertson in 2017.
Announcing his decision on Tuesday, Mr Ross said: “In the general election last year I said I would stand down as an MSP if elected.
“As I hope to stand for Westminster again at the next general election, I believe it is right that I don’t seek election to Holyrood in 2026.”
With just over a year to go until the next Scottish election, he said it “feels like the right time to confirm that I will not be a candidate for Holyrood next year”.
He pledged to “work flat-out” to support Russell Findlay, who succeeded him as Scottish Tory leader, and to help “return as many Scottish Conservative MSPs as possible”.
Mr Ross, who represents the Highlands and Islands region at Holyrood, said he will continue to raise local concerns on behalf of constituents, having previously pressed ministers on issues such as the distance expectant mothers have to travel to give birth in the Highlands.
He said: “Local constituency work has always been the most rewarding part of this job for me, and for the last 18 years I have had the enormous honour of representing my home area as a councillor, an MP and as an MSP.”
He also said that during his remaining time at Holyrood, he will continue work as convener of the Parliament’s Education Committee, and will seek to get his Right to Addiction Recovery Bill passed by MSPs.
He said the legislation, which aims to establish a right to residential rehabilitation, could be a “game-changing piece of legislation to tackle Scotland’s appalling drug and alcohol death rates”.
