Red-faced Tory leader Jackson Carlaw was accused of insulting “practically every woman in the country” after a bizarre attack on Nicola Sturgeon’s hair.
Carlaw blundered in his first outing as stand-in leader after Ruth Davidson quit the post last week.
It followed a withering put-down from Sturgeon on the Tory record in government at Westminster .
The First Minister said: “I think it is probably embarrassment that is making his face go a little bit red when he looks at the actions and achievements of this government compared to the government of his own party which is so obsessed with Brexit that it’s forgotten how to do anything else.”
Carlaw said: “Not my skin tone again… listen, First Minister, at least I’ve got a full head of my own natural coloured hair.”
The entire chamber appeared to groan in response, while backbenchers laughed into their hands or sat stoney-faced.
Carlaw attempted to move on with another attack on independence.
But Sturgeon said: “Let’s not gloss over the fact that within a matter of days of losing their female leader, the interim leader has managed to insult practically every woman in the country with that, I would say, rather ill-advisee quip at the start of his ill-advised rant.”
He later tweeted: "Apologies all, that was crass. And fair play to @NicolaSturgeon for getting under my (very red west of Scotland) skin."
