Douglas Ross (Scottish politician)

Douglas Ross MSP
Official portrait, 2021
Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament
In office 6 May 2021 – 27 September 2024
Monarchs	Elizabeth II Charles III
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon Humza Yousaf John Swinney
Preceded by	Ruth Davidson
Succeeded by	Russell Findlay
Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party[a]
In office 5 August 2020 – 27 September 2024
Deputy	Meghan Gallacher
UK party leader	Boris Johnson Liz Truss Rishi Sunak
Chair	Rab Forman Rachael Hamilton Craig Hoy
Preceded by	Jackson Carlaw
Succeeded by	Russell Findlay
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 17 December 2019 – 26 May 2020
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Colin Clark Robin Walker
Succeeded by	David Duguid Iain Stewart
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands (1 of 7 regional MSPs)
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2021
In office 5 May 2016 – 11 June 2017
Succeeded by	Jamie Halcro Johnston[b]
Member of Parliament for Moray
In office 8 June 2017 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Angus Robertson
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Scottish Conservative portfolios
2016–2017	Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice
Personal details
Born	Douglas Gordon Ross (1983-01-27) 27 January 1983 (age 41) Aberdeen, Scotland
Political party	Scottish Conservatives
Other political affiliations	Scottish Liberal Democrats (formerly)
Spouse	Krystle Ross ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Scottish Agricultural College

Douglas Gordon Ross (born 27 January 1983) is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2020 to 2024 and as Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament from 2021 to 2024. He served as Member of the UK Parliament (MP) for Moray from 2017 to 2024. Ross currently serves as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands, having been elected as a regional list MSP in 2021. He was previously MSP for the region from 2016 to 2017.

Born in Aberdeen, Ross was educated at Forres Academy. After graduating from the Scottish Agricultural College, he worked on a dairy farm. A member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in his youth, he switched to the Scottish Conservatives and began his political career as a Scottish Parliament researcher and then a councillor in Moray. He stood unsuccessfully for the Moray UK Parliament constituency in the 2010 and 2015 general elections and for the Scottish Parliament constituency in 2011 and 2016. In the latter election, he was elected as a regional list MSP as one of the additional members for the Highlands and Islands.

Ross was elected to the House of Commons at the 2017 general election, defeating SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson, and was re-elected in 2019 with a reduced majority. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland under Prime Minister Boris Johnson for six months. He resigned in May 2020, in protest at Dominic Cummings continuing to serve as Johnson's adviser after breaking lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was selected to stand in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, and was defeated by the SNP's Seamus Logan. He remains in the Scottish Parliament as an MSP.

Following the resignation of Jackson Carlaw in July 2020, Ross announced his candidature in the August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election. Five days later, he was elected leader unopposed. He ran on a joint ticket with former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson. Since he served in the House of Commons and was not an MSP, Davidson led the party in the Scottish Parliament until the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. He announced he would stand down as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives after the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
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