THE SNP have challenged Douglas Ross to decide which of his two jobs he considers more important – being an MP or an MSP.
SNP MSP Karen Adam has written to the Scottish Tory leader after the Herald revealed that he "forgot" to report more than £28,000 in earnings.
Ross admitted he made an “extremely bad” error for failing to declare the money, including paid work as a football referee.
He said he “didn’t know why” he didn’t declare the cash, and said he is actively working with parliamentary authorities.
READ MORE: 'I don't know why I did that': Douglas Ross on failing to declare £28,000
Adam labelled Ross’s failure to declare the earnings an "insult” to his constituents and to the people of Scotland.
She has called on him to consider which job he finds more important – being an MP or an MSP – and to choose one.
Amid the sleaze scandal unfolding at Westminster, where a number of MPs have been raking in thousands from second jobs, the SNP have said Ross is “having his cake and eating it” by taking an MP salary whilst sitting at Holyrood as an MSP.
Ross earns £81,932 a year as an MP and receives a top-up of £21,490 for his work at Holyrood as an MSP.
His MSP salary is paid to charities, including the RNLI in Buckie, Keiran's Legacy, Riding for the Disabled, Moray Women's Aid and Shopmobility Moray.
In the letter to the Scottish Tory leader, Adam scolded Ross for the "brazen hypocrisy" he has shown to his constituents.
She criticised Ross for his failure to declare his earnings while Scots face "cruel punishments" from the tories for missing DWP appointments - even If they have "legitimate reasons".
She then urged the MP and MSP to choose between his jobs at Westminster and Holyrood.
Commenting on the letter, SNP MSP Karen Adam said: “If Douglas Ross considers £30,000 negligible enough as to ‘forget’ about it then that is insulting to his constituents when the average wage in Scotland is around £25,000.
“Anyone who has worked as an MP or MSP or even as a hard-working staffer will tell you that being either an MSP or an MP is very much a full-time job and Douglas Ross is failing his constituents in Moray and across the Highlands and Islands by thinking he can do both jobs properly.”
Adam said “treating constituents with contempt is a growing trend” in the Conservative Party, adding that Tory politicians view being an elected politician as “a bit on the side, whilst raking in hundreds of thousands of pounds from other jobs”.
She continued: “During the election campaign in May the SNP called for Douglas Ross to stand down as an MP, but instead he decided to continue and add to the list of jobs he already held - MP, party leader and football linesman.
“As he takes is MP salary cake, he sits in Holyrood and eats it.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross refuses to quit third job as football referee
“His other jobs have frequently gotten in the way when he attended a referee conference in Switzerland and missed vital votes in the House of Commons in favour of the Champions League.
“While all of our constituents are facing a winter of discontent at the hands of Douglas Ross’s party at Westminster, he should be committing all his time and energy into helping them weather this storm.
"He needs to choose between being either an MP or MSP. By trying to be both he is short-changing the people he is supposed to represent.”
The Scottish Tories have been contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel