Boris Johnson replaced Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross with Iain Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes South – Kenny MacAskill

After Douglas Ross resigned over the Dominic Cummings affair, a Downing Street source dismissed him as a ‘nobody’. But few in Scotland will have heard of his replacement, writes Kenny MacAskill.

Douglas Ross MP resigned from Boris Johnson's Government over Dominic Cummings' alleged breach of the lockdown rules (Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

Douglas Ross resigned as a Scottish Office minister and few noted or cared. Good for him, finding Boris Johnson’s defence of Cummings unpalatable, though a more likely explanation is his extremely narrow majority.

However, being described by a Downing Street source as a “nobody” seemed the ultimate put-down.

To be fair, he’d seemed perfectly competent to me and the description speaks more to the influence of Scottish Tories upon the British Government than his personal abilities.

But what has followed seems to take the Scottish Tories to an even lower standing, if that were even possible. For a new minister has been appointed in Ross’s stead but even fewer know him and he doesn’t even represent a Scottish seat.

Number 10 have instead appointed the honourable member for Milton Keynes South. Now no doubt he’ll tell us that he’s a “proud” Scot. Him and his ilk always like to adorn themselves with that description. Ian Stewart was born and brought up in Scotland, though attended private school in Glasgow, but soon headed to England and there he has stayed. What does that say about the other Scottish Tory MPs?

David Mundell’s had his shot but was found wanting and now none of the others even measure up for a junior post. Proof, if it was ever needed, that the Scottish Office is the Cabinet’s placeman in Scotland, not Scotland’s man in the Cabinet.

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