Douglas Ross quit his post as Under Secretary of State for Scotland this morning over Dominic Cummings’ journey to County Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr Ross’s decision to resign comes after a number of Tory MPs publicly expressed unhappiness with Mr Cummings’ actions.
The ex-minister’s resignation letter, which criticises Mr Cummings’ behaviour, has already been shared on Twitter more than 15,000 times.
Here, we take a closer look at Douglas Ross and why he has stepped down.
Who is Douglas Ross and when did he become Under Secretary of State for Scotland?
Douglas Ross has been Scottish Conservative MP for Moray since the June 2017 election, where he defeated SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson.
He was previously a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region from 2016.
After he was re-elected as Moray’s MP in 2019, Mr Ross was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.
He replaced former Gordon MP Colin Clark, who had been unseated by SNP candidate Richard Thompson in the election.
Why did he resign and what did he say about Dominic Cummings?
Douglas Ross resigned in protest at Dominic Cummings’ trip to County Durham despite coronavirus lockdown rules.
The Moray MP said in his resignation letter that he felt he could best represent the feelings of his constituents and people across the country by resigning as a minister.
He wrote: “Mr Cummings’ interpretation of the government advice was not shared by the vast majority of people who have done as the government asked”.
Mr Ross said his constituents had not been able to say goodbye to loved ones and mourn together, or visit sick relatives because they were following government guidelines.
“I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior advisor to the government was right,” he added.
