Douglas Ross's leadership of the Scottish Conservatives was in turmoil last night with his Holyrood group revolting over the treatment of David Duguid.

The MP was ousted as the candidate for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East after the party's Management Board decided he was too sick to stand. 

In a shock u-turn, Mr Ross will contest the constituency instead.

A number of senior Tories are livid at the decision.

One told the BBC that Mr Ross's position was untenable, adding: “The handling has been so bad. The optics are terrible. And his judgement is sorely lacking.”

Another said: “If he wins the mood will be that he needs to go as no one can adequately cover all those jobs.

“If he loses along with a poor result then he will be blamed as well.”

There had been speculation that Mr Duguid could have put himself up against the Scottish Tory leader but his name was not on the final list of candidates when it was published after nominations closed.

The seat is a key battleground between the Tories and the SNP.

Nigel Farage's Reform Party will also be standing in the seat. They have candidates in all 57 of Scotland's constituency.

Earlier on Friday Mr Duguid said the decision to replace him with Mr Ross “wasn’t his decision” and he insisted claims he is “unable to stand” due to ill health are “simply incorrect”. 

READ MORE: Salmond: Ross will get his 'comeuppance' over David Duguid

Mr Duguid has been in hospital since April 11 and in a post on social media he said comments that he is too unwell to campaign were not true, and that no one from the party had spoken to doctors before the decision was made to stop him from standing.

He wrote: "They apparently took this decision based on two visits from the party director and without receiving any professional medical prognosis."

The former MP - who will not be eligible for a redundancy payment from Parliament - added he is "very saddened by the way this whole episode has unfolded". He would have been eligible for the payment had he stood as an independent and lost.

Mr Ross surprised many in his party on Thursday morning by announcing his intention to stand in the seat.

He had previously said he would not be entering the Westminster race so he could focus on leading the Tories in Holyrood.

READ MORE: FM 'genuinely disgusted' by Tory treatment of David Duguid

One source told The Times his actions had undermined his own position as Scottish Conservative leader.

One MSP said Mr Ross had made a “fatal error … which seems to put his personal ambition ahead of everyone else”.

They added: “If he wins his Westminster seat he needs to step down as an MSP with immediate effect; if he loses it he needs to step down as leader to give us any chance of a good run at 2026. You can’t have your feet in both parliaments, his heart is still clearly in Westminster.”

READ MORE: David Duguid denies 'ill-health' claim in Douglas Ross replacement row

Another MSP said: “There’s a risk he could lose. He’s made himself part of the judgment of what will be a shit election.”

Speaking to journalists at a campaign stop in Springburn in Glasgow, Mr Swinney hit out at the “naked self-interest of Douglas Ross.”

“I genuinely was disgusted by what I witnessed.”

“What has happened is the most despicable way to treat somebody who's facing illness, an absolutely despicable way to treat somebody facing illness.

“And David Duguid is a well respected member of parliament. My Westminster colleagues have a very good relationships with him. And he is a good man.

“And he's facing health difficulties.”

The First Minister said that sometimes people become unwell. He pointed to Richard Lochhead, an SNP minister currently recovering from long-term illness.

“For Douglas Ross to essentially require the removal of David Duguid who was perfectly prepared to stand for election, and whose local association wanted him to do so, just to create a new pathway for Douglas Ross to have a new opportunity is a new low, for evem Douglas Ross.

“So I am disgusted by it. Horrified by it. I think it's no way to treat another human being.”

Launching Alba's election campaign in Glasgow, Alex Salmond described Mr Ross as "Dick Dastardly" after the TV cartoon villain character and said he would get his "comeuppance".

"To shove aside somebody who clearly wanted to stand in the campaign - many MPs have campaigned in their hospital beds before - you stand on your record over previous years, you don't have to be on the doorstep in an election campaign.

"To be shoved aside in a disgraceful manner. I thought I had seen everything in politics. But I have not seen anything so blatant and Douglas Ross is going to get his comeuppance," Mr Salmond told supporters.

Mr Ross defended his decision to run in the General Election in Mr Duguid’s place, saying his party colleague’s health was at the “heart” of the decision to replace him.  

He is part of the Scottish Conservative management board, which ruled on Wednesday night that Mr Duguid is not medically well enough to stand for the party at the July 4 poll.

Mr Ross was not present at that meeting.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland: "I want to lead from the front, this is a really important seat.

"It's one of the many key seats across Scotland where it is a straight choice between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP."

He said Mr Duguid had been an "absolute champion" for the area and the Conservative party management board had had a "difficult decision" to make.

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."

Aberdeenshire Council confirmed last night that the final list of candidates standing in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East are:

Ian Bailey (Scottish Liberal Democrats); Andy Brown (Scottish Labour Party); Jo Hart (Reform UK); Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party (SNP)); Douglas Gordon Ross (Scottish Conservative and Unionist).