JACKSON Carlaw has stressed he still has confidence in Nicola Sturgeon’s ability to lead Scotland through the Covid-19 pandemic - despite her chief medical officer being forced to resign after “explosive” revelations she “deliberately flouted” her own advice.

Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, last night resigned from her position after revelations she had ignored the public health advice she has been the face of for people to stay at home to save lives.

It was revealed that Dr Calderwood, who lives in Edinburgh, had visited her second home in Fife at the weekend - before she later revealed herself at yesterday’s media briefing that she has also visited Fife at the previous weekend.

The First Minister initially backed Dr Calderwood after she issued a public apology, but later confirmed she was to no longer front the public campaign, before eventually resigning her position just before 10pm following further discussions with the First Minister.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon defends her judgment over Dr Catherine Calderwood fiasco

Speaking to BBC Good Morning Scotland, Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said that on Sunday morning, he “thought it was possible an apology might be enough”.

But the Tory leader reconsidered his view following “the revelation that she had actually visited the property twice”, which he branded “explosive”.

He added: “When we heard that, that really did make her position untenable.

“You had the chief medical officer who was deliberately flouting the advice that she had  been giving everybody.”

Mr Carlaw added: “I do think it was odd that given there had been two offences, that the First Minister allowed her to continue.

READ MORE: Catherine Calderwood: The obstetrics expert who held Scotland’s top medical job

“The suggestion later that she could carry on in her position but less visible, I think was never going to be tenable either.”

Dr Calderwood has been praised for her contribution to Scotland’s efforts to suppress to spread of Covid-19.

Mr Carlaw said: “I respect Catherine Calderwood - she has been briefing opposition leaders as well.

“I think she had been doing a good job but there is a point in a process where I think if you become the centre of the story, you have to move aside.

“That revelation that she had visited her holiday home twice, I think, was the point at which it did become untenable.”

He added: “Yesterday morning, I could understand why the First Minister hoped she might be able to stay - but I think when it became apparent that she visited her holiday home twice, this then became a case of the whole of the United Kingdom watching the chief medical officer of Scotland, who is fronting television broadcasts, telling us to stay at home, she didn’t in fact think that applied to her.

“It’s a bit like George Orwell’s Animal Farm. All Animals are equal, just some animals are more equal than others.”

READ MORE: Coronavirus: CMO Dr Catherine Calderwood resigns

The Scottish Conservative leader has how called for the attention to now shift back to tackling the spread of Covid-19.

He said: ”The real focus now, after a day of distraction on this issues, has to be on tackling the virus.

“I still have confidence in the First Minister to lead that effort and that is where all our attention should now be redirected.

Mr Carlaw said that the deputy chief medical officer, Dr Gregor Smith, was “perfectly competent” to step up into the vacant role.

He added: “It’s important that we have that person in place - somebody the public can see on television. Actually, some of the messages we receive cannot always be from politicians - they have to be from experienced professionals who we can have confidence.

“That’s why having the chief medical officers as an invisible force, as was being proposed last night, would not have worked.”