THE leader of the Scottish Conservatives has been called on to take action over recent xenophobic comments made by a councillor.

Ayrshire Tory councillor Todd Ferguson recently suggested that the views of Joy Brahim, his SNP rival in the local elections, were irrelevant as she came from Holland.

He later deleted the Tweet and apologised shortly before going on a rant about a so-called "witch hunt" following his comments.

The National:

SNP MP Patricia Gibson has now called on Ruth Davidson to take action over the councillor.

She said: “There is absolutely no place for these intimidating and hate-filled comments in Scottish politics, especially from an elected representative.

“This Tory councillor has displayed a pattern of vile behaviour based simply upon someone’s background, not upon the contribution they have chosen to make to public life in Scotland. That is nothing short of a disgrace.

“Anything short of the most robust disciplinary action shows Ruth Davidson is a soft touch on xenophobia – totally unable and unwilling to get a grip of these right-wingers within her own ranks.”

This is the second time that Ferguson has publicly targetted Brahim. She claims she has recently sought to avoid undertaking joint council engagements with the Tory councillor due to his behaviour.

Ferguson deleted his Twitter account after being contacted by The National.