Ousted Scottish Tory hits back at leader who said he was ‘too sick’ to stand in election

A former minister ousted from a key seat by the Scottish Tory leader has denied the party’s claim that he was too sick to stand in the general election.

David Duguid said the Scottish Tories had taken the decision to remove him from the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat “without receiving any professional medical prognosis”.

In a statement published on social media, he said claims by senior party insiders that he could not stand were “simply incorrect”.

Mr Duguid, who became an MP in the 2017 election and served as a junior minister in the Scotland Office, said he had been “very much looking forward to campaigning”.

He said he was “very saddened” by the manner in which he had been ousted but accepted that the process for selecting Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, to replace him was “now well underway”.

But Mr Ross insisted that the party’s management board had prioritised Mr Duguid’s health and his recovery following weeks in hospital with a serious spinal condition.

He cited concerns that Mr Duguid would be unable to cope with the “rigours of an election campaign and indeed the next five years of being a member of parliament”.

Arguing he was the best-placed candidate to win the seat, which has been newly created following boundary changes, he noted it incorporated much of his former Moray constituency.

Furious backlash

However, the decision has provoked a furious backlash from some local members and activists. Party insiders have accused Mr Ross of treating Mr Duguid “appallingly” and claimed the move raised questions about his leadership continuing.

Mr Duguid, who was MP for Banff and Buchan in Aberdeenshire, had been backed by local members to contest the new Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat.

However, he was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on April 11 and spent four weeks in the hospital’s intensive care unit with a serious spinal condition.

The 53-year-old then contracted pneumonia and was moved to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. The party decided on Wednesday evening that he was unfit to stand and banned him from running.

Mr Ross has been both Moray MP and an MSP for the Highlands and Islands since being parachuted in to take the Scottish Tory leadership in 2020. He donates his £72,195 MSP salary to charity.

‘Not my decision not to stand’

He had previously pledged not to stand in the general election, with his Moray seat being abolished, but announced an extraordinary about-turn in an “emergency” press conference on Thursday morning. The deadline for nominations is 4pm on Friday.

In his statement, posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Duguid thanked wellwishers for their support but said he had to “clear up a factual inaccuracy”.

“It has been reported and repeated that I am ‘unable to stand’. This is simply incorrect. Having been adopted by local members, I was very much looking forward to campaigning – albeit in a different form from normal. It was not my decision not to stand.”

He said the party management board had blocked him “although none of them had visited me”, adding: “They apparently took this decision based on two visits from the party director and without receiving any professional medical prognosis.”

Mr Duguid added: “Needless to say I am very saddened by the way this whole episode has unfolded and it would be wrong of me to pretend otherwise.”

He concluded: “For my part, I would just like to say that it really has been an honour and privilege to serve you for the last seven years.” The party deselecting him means he will miss out on almost £15,000 in redundancy pay.

Mr Ross told BBC Radio Scotland that Mr Duguid had been an “absolute champion” for the area and the Tories had had a “difficult decision” to make.

‘Absolute champion’

Mr Ross said: “The party management board had to look at the situation right now, the situation with David’s health, his recovery, that was at the heart of the decision the management board took.

“It was a very difficult decision, and I understand how difficult it has been for David, for his family, for his staff. I have been in touch with his office.”

Asked if he has spoken to Mr Duguid since he put himself forward for the seat, Mr Ross said he had “reached out” to him, adding that “he will maybe speak when he is able to and he feels able to speak”.

Pressed on whether he had messaged Mr Duguid or tried to speak to him, Mr Ross added: “We have done both, but given he is in hospital it is not straightforward.

“I have been in conversation with David’s office and such like, relaying as much support as we can.”

Mr Ross said the “very unique circumstances” and timings meant the party had just over 24 hours to get another candidate in place, so he decided to put himself forward.

He said the new seat also included the council ward he represented between 2007 and 2017 and “I want to lead from the front.”