Edinburgh MSP and former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has said she feels like a "right pillock" after she tweeted the location of the head of MI6's Scottish home.
The Daily Record reported that Davidson , in a now deleted tweet, told followers that spy-chief Alex Younger lived in “line-of-sight” of a named part of the country.
She posted the tweet after it was announced Ken McCallum had been appointed the new head of MI5.
When it was pointed out that McCallum was Glaswegian, Davidson replied that MI6 chief Alex Younger: “Splits his time between Edinburgh and London. His house is within line-of-sight of [named location]”.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives told Daily Record political editor Paul Hutcheon that Davidson thought she was sending a private message.
“Ruth thought she was sending the tweet as a private message, and as soon as she realised it was public took it down.
“She feels like a right pillock for this mistake, and wishes to apologise very sincerely to Mr Younger.”
The directors general of MI5 and MI6 are the only employees of the secretive agencies ever named publicly.
Details about where they live are usually kept secret for obvious reasons.
Former deputy SNP leader Angus Robertson, who is seeking the SNP's support to run in the election to replace Davidson, said: “This is quite extraordinary and utterly reckless by Ruth Davidson.
"Why on earth she thought it was a good idea to publicise the home location of the head of MI6 is utterly beyond me.”
