Douglas Ross convenes Education Committee from Caribbean

Douglas Ross faced calls to leave a Holyrood committee after convening it from the Caribbean, with one MSP branding the situation “farcical”.

The former Scottish Conservative leader video-called into the Education Committee on Wednesday from Turks and Caicos, where it was about 4am at the time.

He is in the region as part of a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association seminar following a nomination by Scottish Parliament members of the association.

Ross, who arrived in the archipelago on Monday and will return on Thursday, had said beforehand he would still attend the committee.

MSPs were grilling education secretary Jenny Gilruth, children’s minister Natalie Don-Innes, and higher and further education minister Graeme Dey.

Willie Rennie, a member of the committee, raised concerns about Ross chairing the meeting in Edinburgh from abroad.

He said: “It is wholly inappropriate and unprofessional for Douglas Ross to even attempt to chair the Education Committee 4,000 miles away in the Caribbean.

“This is especially the case when questioning the three ministers for education on issues such as temporary contracts for teachers, school violence, the University of Dundee, the future of colleges, The Promise, additional support needs and so much more.

“These issues deserve a convener who is in the room rather than attempting to conduct affairs in the middle of the night in the Turks and Caicos islands.

“Everyone in education in Scotland deserves better than this.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie called for Douglas Ross to leave the Education Committee (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA) PA Media

The Liberal Democrat MSP had raised a point of order during the committee, adding he had also raised concerns before the meeting began.

During the session, Rennie said his appearance from the Caribbean “doesn’t make you look good and it doesn’t make this committee look good”.

He had asked Ross to hand over his duties on Wednesday to the vice-convener.

Ross said he was happy to hear concerns and allow deputy convener Jackie Dunbar to convene the committee.

Following a brief suspension, Dunbar said the rules for conveners did not distinguish between a virtual or physical appearance at the committee, and Ross convened the rest of the meeting.

SNP MSP George Adam described Douglas Ross’s appearance at the committee as a ‘farcical’ (Scottish Parliament/PA) PA Media

SNP MSP George Adam told Ross at the committee: “I would just like to say a few words with regards to the situation of you convening this from a tropical island on the other side of the world.

“I am, for the record, not happy. I find this meeting farcical, the fact that you could even think you could do that online from the other side of the world.

“To be fair, it’s the best behaved you’ve been in the past couple of weeks so perhaps being online suits you and not actually meeting people in person is maybe not your best way forward.

“The aggressive manner and the lack of respect you’ve shown to people who have come to the committee in the past have actually made this Parliament look bad.

“I want to put that on the record because we have tried on numerous occasions to talk to you, take you aside and ask you to do the right thing, but you continue with your continued behaviour and quite frankly I think it makes you look small and pathetic.”