Notorious activist crashes Scottish Tory manifesto launch to harangue Douglas Ross

A notorious activist crashed the launch of the Scottish Conservative manifesto launch in Glasgow to harangue party leader Douglas Ross.

Serial activist Sean Clerkin interrupted the Scottish Tory event

Sean Clerkin launched into a minute-long tirade about the cost of living crisis and the number of people being driven into poverty.

He insisted Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak should be forced to resign over partygate, before being ejected from the room.

It is not the first time Mr Clerkin has interrupted a Tory even.

In 2016, he crashed a photo call at New Douglas Park, home of Hamilton Accies.

Adam Morris, the Tories' then head of media, was famously mistaken for the activist by security and led out of the ground.

Mr Clerkin interrupted Mr Ross while he was launching his party's local manifesto at Glasgow’s Courtyard by Marriott hotel beside the SECC.

The activist branded him “Mr Three Jobs Ross”, a reference to his roles as an MSP, MP and football referee.

Mr Clerkin said: "There's going to be social unrest in Scotland unless you stop what you're doing.

"We need to uprate the benefits, social security benefits, by the rate of inflation - 7 to 9 per cent."

He also called for the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit to be reversed.

A court case against Mr Clerkin was dropped last year following a protest at Edinburgh Airport.

He had been arrested after unveiling a banner declaring "England get out of Scotland".

In 2011, the activist famously forced former Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray to take refuge in a Subway sandwich shop in Glasgow’s Central Station.