Prior to the 2026 Holyrood election campaign, Mr. Ross had declared he was stepping down from his position as a Westminster MP in order to focus on his role as an MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament).
Due to boundary changes this year, his Moray constituency was eliminated and transferred to the new area.
The Scottish office minister David Duguid has held since 2017 has included the Banff and Buchan seat in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.
Given that Mr. Duguid was not chosen for the position on Wednesday night, Mr. Ross’s action is expected to cause controversy.
On Wednesday, however, Mr. Duguid stated that he was recovering well following surgery and had been looking forward to standing in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency.
A severe sickness damaging his spine required him to spend four weeks in critical care.
Mr. Ross stated that due to Mr. Duguid’s inadequate health, the party had to make the painful choice to deny him the right to stand.
He claimed he had not considered running for parliament in this election and that he had only decided to run for the seat on Thursday morning.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I must take the initiative, so this tonight I will submit my name for consideration as the Scottish Conservative candidate for Aberdeenshire North.
