Douglas Ross says of Boris Johnson: ‘I could not support anyone who made indefensible comments’

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has admitted that he could not defend the Prime Minister if alleged comments that he would rather see ‘bodies pile high in their thousands’ rather than face another lockdown turned out to be true.

Mr Ross branded such language “indefensible” and said that anyone who spoke in that way would also be “indefensible”, although he pointed to the Prime Minister s denial of the situation.

Reports have claimed Mr Johnson made the comments to staff amid discussions over imposing a fresh wave of restrictions on England.

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The comments have been strenuously denied by Number 10 Downing Street.

Scottish Conservative party leader Douglas Ross said that comments allegedly made by the Prime Minister would be "indefensible" if true. Picture: PAScottish Conservative party leader Douglas Ross said that comments allegedly made by the Prime Minister would be "indefensible" if true. Picture: PA
Scottish Conservative party leader Douglas Ross said that comments allegedly made by the Prime Minister would be "indefensible" if true. Picture: PA

Mr Ross said: "They are unacceptable comments that no-one can defend. The person who made the alleged comments, or anyone else – they are indefensible comments.

"You cannot defend language such as that. But, I’ve got to say, I’m only basing my response on Number 10 and the Prime Minister saying he did not make those comments. But they are indefensible and I could never support them or support comments such as those.”

He added: “The Prime Minister has said, the spokesperson has said, that those comments were not made by the Prime Minister. If they were made by anyone, it would be completely unacceptable.”

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Mr Ross suggested that he had not spoken directly to Mr Johnson about the situation, which comes just ten days before the Holyrood election.

The Prime Minister’s popularity is low in Scotland, where he has not joined the party’s campaign in person, despite earlier claiming that “wild horses” would not keep him away.

Mr Ross said: “If there's a public statement from Downing Street to say the Prime Minister didn't make those comments, and therefore I would expect to get the same answer if I asked him directly. If they were made by anyone, they would be completely unacceptable.”

The Scottish Tories leader said he was “sure” Mr Johnson would have to publicly defend himself at Prime Minister’s Questions this week.

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The reports come amid a row between Mr Johnson and his former advisor Dominic Cummings, who stepped down from his job last year after it emerged that he had breached coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

There are claims Mr Cummings has not yet been cleared of being the leak over the most recent allegations.

Mr Ross resigned as a government minister during the furore, saying he had “trouble” with the chief advisor’s account of why he travelled more than 200 miles with suspected Covid-19 symptoms.

He said today: “I knew the implications at the time of the decision I took, but I thought, Dominic Cummings, what he said and what he did at the time were completely wrong.

"As we were asking people to protect themselves and their families, there is no defence of Dominic Cummings travelling across the country to Barnard Castle. So I think people understand my views on Dominic Cummings and what he has said and done in the past.”

The SNP has called for Mr Johnson to resign if reports of the comments are true.

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