Downing Street parties: Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross doubles down on resignation demand to Boris Johnson

The Scottish Conservative leader said it remained his position that Mr Johnson should resign, despite pleas from the Prime Minister that MPs should wait for the results of the police investigation into the events across government.

The publication of the Sue Gray report, described by its author as not “meaningful”, highlighted 16 gatherings in No.10 and across government.

Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross has repeated his demand for the Prime Minister to resign.

A total of 12 of these, including a gathering inside the No.10 flat on November 13, 2020, are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

In a statement released after the Prime Minister apologised to the House of Commons for the details of report and rejected calls from opposition MPs to resign, Mr Ross highlighted one of the findings of the Gray report.

He said: “I made my position clear several weeks ago and that remains my position in light of the findings of Sue Gray’s report, which states ‘at least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government, but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time’.”

Mr Ross added: “It is vital that the final report, following the Met investigation, is published in full.”

Mr Johnson repeatedly failed to commit to publishing the Gray report in full after the police investigation was finished, contradicting previous statements made by his official spokesperson.

The report, titled an ‘update’, concluded there was an “excessive consumption” of alcohol in No.10, that staff were frightened to raise concerns, and there were “failures of leadership and judgment” within No.10 and the Cabinet Office.

The document also stated some gatherings represented a “serious failure” to observe the standards expected of government and the British people.

Mr Ross’s stance the Prime Minister should resign is backed by almost all Scottish Tory MSPs, putting the Scottish party at direct odds with its UK equivalent.

The Moray MP also faced accusations from Jacob Rees-Mogg, a key figure in Johnson’s Government, that he was a “lightweight” politician.

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