Douglas Ross: Nationalist attempts to game the electoral system are undemocratic

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said independence-supporting parties are attempting to “game the system” in pursuit of a so-called supermajority at Holyrood.

Ross described as “undemocratic” attempts by Alex Salmond’s Alba party to use the list system to create a majority of independence-supporting MSPs after May 6.

Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, he said: “I do think it is undemocratic for these nationalist-supporting parties to try and game the system and this idea of supermajority has come about because Alex Salmond’s nationalists want to increase the numbers on top of Nicola Sturgeon’s nationalists to have another independence referendum.

“They don’t want to see the focus in Scotland, and in our parliament, on our recovery and rebuilding after this pandemic.

“People want to see this country focus on a recovery from COVID-19. They don’t want to see the division and damaging discussions we had in the previous referendum – that didn’t help our country.”

Asked whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson would continue to block calls for a second referendum after the election, Ross said: “I doesn’t matter in the SNP’s minds what the Prime Minister says anyway because they want to go ahead with an illegal, wildcat referendum. They’ve set that out in their 11-point plan for another independence referendum.”

Asked whether Johnson would join him on the campaign trail in the coming weeks, Ross said he was “not sure”.

 He added: “I’d previously expected him to come up. Clearly, as we continue to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic this whole election is very different…but the Prime Minister continues to engage with people across the whole of the United Kingdom. He also hears the concerns of those who are upset with the current arrangements and he wants to resolve these issues as well.”