SCOTTISH Tory leader Douglas Ross has denied he’s been “rendered pathetic” over his u-turn on the future of Boris Johnson. 

The MSP was doorstepped by press in Holyrood on Thursday after he steered clear of Westminster, avoiding a crunch vote on referring the Prime Minister to the Commons Privileges Committee.

He told journalists that he still trusted Mr Johnson, but he refused to say if he would back him to lead the Tories into the next general election. 

Earlier in the week, Mr Ross was criticised in the Commons by Sir Keir Starmer for abandoning his demand that Mr Johnson quit. 

The Labour leader told MPs that the Prime Minister’s attempts to save his job had resulted in “good ministers forced to walk away from public service, the chancellor’s career up in flames and the leader of the Scottish Conservatives rendered pathetic”.

Asked if that was true, Mr Ross said: “Opposition politicians call me lots of things. I will continue to do my job, standing up against the SNP government here in Holyrood, highlighting their approach to many issues. We got no answers from the First Minister.” 

Asked directly, if he was pathetic, he replied: “No I'm not. It's very clear that opposition politicians will call each other names a lot of time, I'm going to focus on doing what I'm elected to do here at Holyrood which is holding the SNP government to account and try and get answers from the First Minister.”

Earlier today. Mr Johnson, who is currently on a trade mission to India, told journalists that he intended to lead the Tories into the next general election. 

Mr Ross declined to say if he would support the Prime Minister remaining in post at that point. 

He said: ”I'm looking at the immediate response right now. I'm focusing on the Scottish Conservative campaign to elect as many Scottish Conservative councillors right across Scotland. I'm looking at what we're doing here in Holyrood, holding the Scottish government to account but also right across Scotland showing that alternative vision for Scotland.”

Mr Ross said he was “very happy” that the Privileges Committee would investigate whether or not the Prime Minister had misled Parliament. 

He said: “I think it's right that all the information is in the public domain. And that's what the Privileges Committee will look at. And the chair has recused himself, they will be able to look at all the evidence and I think that's the right thing and the government have made that very clear by withdrawing their amendment and suggesting that that can go through now.” 

He added: “I think it's very welcome that the government are keen to get everything out in the public domain, answer questions that the public rightly still have. 

Mr Ross denied he was hiding from the vote, saying he hadn’t actually been in Westminster on a Thursday for two years. 

"It's physically impossible to get from the Holyrood chamber finishing FMQs at 12:45 to get down to London for a vote at 5pm." 

Asked if he trusted the Prime Minister, he said: “Yes, because he is leading the response both from the UK but, in many cases the Western response to what's going in Ukraine.

“But that doesn't absolve him from blame or responsibility for mistakes that were made over partygate.”