ANOTHER SNP majority government would be the “biggest threat” to Scotland’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Douglas Ross has claimed.

In his closing speech to his party’s virtual spring conference, the Scottish Tory leader said another independence referendum would make the current economic problems far worse.

He also launched a savage attack on the SNP’s record, claiming the party’s “latent ugliness” was now evident in the form of sleaze, scandals and secrecy.

The country was suffering under a “rotten, festering SNP Government” which now wanted a wildcat referendum that could encourage "disorder and anarchy", he said.

The Moray MP even read out a “roll call of shame” of MSPs, MPs and party officials involved in sexual scandals and the Alex Salmond affair.

He said: “The SNP have become the very thing they sought to destroy. They are the morally bankrupt Scottish Labour party they once rebelled against.

“They are knee-deep in the same sort of scandals that saw Labour lose votes in every Scottish Parliament election since 1999.”

Mr Ross, who was an MSP for a year before swapping Holyrood for Westminster in 2017, plans to return to the Scottish Parliament through the North East list in May. 

He said the Scottish Tories intended to bring a vote of no confidence in Nicola Sturgeon, as he promised “not to hold back” in its condemnation of the SNP.

He said: “From now to May, we're not going to back off an inch. 

“I would urge the other parties to get behind us, to stand up for truth, stand up for our parliament, stand up to the SNP.”

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The SNP has said it would regard a win in May as a mandate for Indyref2.

Mr Ross said: “In under two months’ time we face the fight of our political lives. Every vote will count. This is the most important election in the history of devolution.

“It is about nothing less than Scotland’s future. About whether we the use the next few years to rebuild and recover from the damaging impact of a global pandemic.

“Or we come out of global health crisis to enter into a self-inflicted Scottish political crisis.

“Because there should be no doubt, that the SNP will claim a majority as a mandate to hold another divisive independence referendum.

“In what world would this be the right thing for Scotland’s recovery, a Covid-referendum, being fought while people are still getting their second jag?

“We should be focussed on rebuilding one brick at a time, using the strong foundations of the United Kingdom to help us do it.

“We won’t rebuild by bulldozing what we have. By taking a wrecking ball to Scotland’s recovery. We won’t solve our problems by piling uncertainty on uncertainty.

“Taking a health and jobs crisis, and adding a constitutional crisis.

“We can have a return to normality – or a return to that bitter referendum period.”

He said the SNP’s plans would be “nothing short of total recklessness, throwing livelihoods into deeper and longer uncertainty”, potentially including a “a wildcat referendum and a Catalan-style constitutional clash with the UK Government”.

He said: “We in the Scottish Conservatives will play no part in an illegal vote. It would encourage disorder, anarchy, chaos. And yet it is now SNP policy.

“Their membership demand indyref2 now, regardless of the cost to us all as we emerge from the devastation of the pandemic.

“If we give them free reign, if they win a majority, they will hold a referendum at the earliest opportunity. They will not pass up that chance.

“The biggest threat now to our recovery from coronavirus is a SNP majority government.

“But we can stop that, the SNP are no longer invincible, they are battered and bruised.”

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He said the SNP was undermined by scandal, failure and incompetency.

“With a leadership dancing to the whims of their frenzied membership, who do not care how their plans will damage the rest of us. A tired husk, out of ideas, offering nothing to the future of Scotland but the promise of more division.” 

He went on: “It’s easy to see why Nicola Sturgeon is unable to give that clarity, she is clearly distracted by other matters.

“All the latent ugliness in the SNP has broken out. It’s on show for all of Scotland to see.

“Its consuming their party at every level of government.

“The scandals, the sleaze, the secrecy.

“Abuses of power, cover ups, dishonesty, deceit, outright lies to the Scottish Parliament.

“The SNP have become the very thing they sought to destroy. They are the morally bankrupt Scottish Labour party they once rebelled against.

“They are knee-deep in the same sort of scandals that saw Labour lose votes in every Scottish Parliament election since 1999.

The SNP’s roll call of shame includes [MP] Patrick Grady - accused of sexual harassment.

“[MSP] Derek Mackay - he pestered a child. [MSP] Mark McDonald - harassed women. “[MP] Margaret Ferrier - put lives at risk. [SNP chief executive] Peter Murrell - pressured the police, committed perjury. John Swinney - covered up key evidence.  

“All the First Minister's men and women. All tarnished by scandal after scandal.

“Let's take Scotland's future out of their hands.”

“Nicola Sturgeon once said ‘Labour lost because they took voters for granted. They became arrogant on power. They thought they were invincible. And they rightly paid the price.’

Now it's time for this broken Scottish National Party to pay the price.”

Mr Ross, whose party has been vying with Scottish Labour for second place in some recent polls, also attacked his opposition rival.

He said: “The dividing lines between us and Labour are clearer than ever.

“We’re proud of how we fought and defeated the SNP together in 2014. They’re ashamed.

“They kick out councillors for working with us. They work with the SNP instead.

“We’ll never support indyref2 – come May 7th, they might.

“They’re not on your side, they’re not even on their own side, they don’t know what they should be fighting for anymore. They’re not just weak on the Union, they’re weak full stop.”

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On policy, Mr Ross said the party's manifesto would include a £120m "catch-up premium" for schools, a £500 'retrain to rebuild' grant, wraparound childcare, repeal of the new Hate Crime Bill, and a new Local Policing Act.

He said: "Just as we need to give people opportunity through developing skills, so too do we need to give them the support and time to work.

“The Scottish Conservatives would introduce Wraparound Childcare for families with children in Primaries 1 to 3.

“This will help parents who want to work but cannot do so because expensive childcare costs do not make it worth their while.

“With this transformative change to how we deliver funded childcare we can help to tackle the gender employment gap. Giving opportunity to thousands of Scottish women, who are disproportionately affected, with the promise that they do not have to give up on their job to look after their child.”

He went on: "Scottish education used to be the pride of our nation, the envy of the world. To be Scottish was to be educated.

“What the SNP have done to education, by cutting teacher numbers, introducing curriculum for excellence and slashing subject choice, is nothing short of a crime against Scottish nationhood.

“I want to give the next generation the best tools possible to forge their own future.

“I am announcing today that we would introduce a school awards scheme, a Somerville Fund, to recognise and encourage the sharing of best practice and innovation in teaching.

“I already set out plans to create a national tutoring programme and support early language skills. Yet that was last year, before schools were shut for a second time, now we need to go further.

“So, we would invest £120m into a Catch-Up Premium for every single Scottish school pupil.

"Managed by schools, to give them the freedom to invest in interventions tailored to the needs of each child’s recovery from the effects of this pandemic.”

Praising the Union over the "roaring success" of the Covid vaccine rollout, he said: “Our country has always held a reputation for producing our best at those moments of greatest challenge. For digging deep and delivering when facing the most momentous of tasks. 

“That reputation is not only intact, it has been strengthened. What an incredible achievement thanks to the hard work of NHS staff, the British Armed Forces and so many volunteers doing their part for their communities.”