FORMER Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has been allowed to chair a Holyrood meeting from the Caribbean after MSPs failed in a bid to temporarily remove him.
On Wednesday morning, Ross plugged in to the Education, Children and Young People Committee from the Turks and Caicos islands, a British overseas territory where he is reported to be on Commonwealth Parliamentary Association business.
However, LibDem MSP Willie Rennie raised a point of order about Ross’s involvement as convener from abroad.
Rennie said: “I'd like to raise a point of order. I raised this with the convener in the private pre-briefing.
“I don't think it's appropriate, convener, for you to be conducting this meeting from the Caribbean.
“I think it doesn't make you look good and it doesn't make this committee look good, and I would like you once again to reconsider whether this is appropriate.
“I would ask you to hand over the responsibilities to the vice-convener.”
The SNP’s Jackie Dunbar is vice-convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee.
In response to Rennie’s request, Ross said he would be happy to take part as a lay-member and allow Dunbar to chair the meeting, at which Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Higher Education Minister Graeme Dey, and Minister for Children Natalie Don-Innes were due to give evidence.
Dunbar took advice from parliamentary clerks and said that there was nothing in the rules to prevent a meeting being chaired remotely.
“The rule makes no distinction between virtual or in-person attendance during committee meetings,” she said.
“It is the role of the convenor to chair the committee if they are present, whether in person or virtually.”
Dunbar therefore passed the responsibility to chair the meeting back to Ross.
Previously, an SNP source briefed the Daily Record about the fact that the former Scottish Tory leader would attend the meeting from the Caribbean.
They said: "Throughout his time at Holyrood, Douglas Ross has treated his role as an MSP as a part-time gig to fit around his other jobs – including his various jaunts across Europe as an assistant referee.
"This has been a bit of an embarrassing week for Ross after he was removed from the Chamber for his poor behaviour on Thursday.
“After his tirade of unjustified claims about other members' parliamentary attendance it is now somewhat ironic that Mr Ross will be logging in from near the Caribbean."
