A Scottish authorities minister has give up after being accused of assaulting and verbally abusing a former chief of the Conservatives in Scotland.
MSP Douglas Ross made the allegation about parliamentary enterprise minister Jamie Hepburn on the finish of First Minister’s Questions (FMQs) on Thursday.
Mr Hepburn stated in his resignation letter that he had “not acted in accordance with my own personal code of practice”.
He added: “There is no denying that my interaction with Douglas Ross fell well short of that standard.”
Picture:Jamie Hepburn listens to a speech in Glasgow in January 2024. Pic: PA
Mr Ross accused Mr Hepburn of assaulting him by firmly grabbing his shoulder earlier than launching right into a foul-mouthed tirade whereas leaving the Holyrood chamber on Wednesday afternoon.
The now former minister has rejected claims he had been bodily with Mr Ross, however admitted to utilizing “choice words”.
Mr Ross stated the choice to resign was “correct”, including Mr Hepburn had personally apologised to him.
He continued: “Nonetheless, this situation ought to have been settled yesterday when the primary minister was made conscious of the complete info.
“Jamie Hepburn admitted behaviour that fell well short of that expected of ministers. Instead, John Swinney backed him and the nationalists were determined to ride this out and endorse that behaviour until I called for the situation to be investigated by the Independent Advisers on the Ministerial Code.”
Mr Ross claimed he had been “physically assaulted and verbally abused” by Mr Hepburn.
Picture:Conservative MSP Douglas Ross speaks to the media on Thursday. Pic: PA
‘Lost his temper in a big way’
“The minister grabbed me on the shoulder and held on to me all the way out of the chamber,” Mr Ross stated.
“On the identical time, he was regularly swearing at me and getting increasingly more aggressive. He simply wouldn’t surrender.
“He lost his temper in a big way and there is no way that behaviour can be tolerated in any workplace.”
Talking to journalists, Mr Hepburn admitted that he put his hand on Mr Ross’s shoulder and “probably used a few choice words I shouldn’t have”.
He added: “That’s it.”
The Scottish parliament stated there was no CCTV footage of the alleged incident.
Picture:Jamie Hepburn alongside Colin McAllister, chief of workers on the Scottish authorities, on Thursday. Pic: PA
‘Quite out of character’
Mr Hepburn stated in his resignation letter to First Minister John Swinney that regardless of “whatever annoyance I felt at that particular moment”, there was no excuse for his language.
“I hope it is recognised on your part and others that this behaviour was quite out of character on my part,” he stated.
He added that his continued presence as a minister within the Scottish authorities would trigger distraction and that, “in such circumstances I believe it is best that I stand down with immediate effect”.
Mr Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, has held quite a few roles inside the Scottish authorities, and was most lately minister for independence from 2023 till 2024.
