One of the rising stars of the Scottish Tory Holyrood group is "desperately seeking escape" from Douglas Ross's frontbench after winning selection for a Westminster seat.

Dr Sandesh Gulhane, the party's health spokesman, will be the party's candidate in East Renfrewshire at the next general election

The GP is the second member of Douglas Ross's frontbench team making a bid to swap parliaments.

Stephen Kerr was selected as the party's candidate for the North Tayside in June.

Both men have been in Holyrood for little more than two years.

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It is not clear if the two would be expected to quit their Holyrood posts to take up Westminster seats. 

As well as being an MSP and party leader, Douglas Ross is also the MP for Moray. Though if he was to stand down from Westminster there's every chance his marginal seat would be picked up by the SNP at the resulting by-election.

As Mr Kerr and Dr Gulhane are both regional MSPs, if they did resign, their position would likely be filled by the next person on the list, solicitor Haroun Malik and former councillor Glasgow Ade Aibinu.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, told the Daily Record: "This is just more proof that Tories are fleeing Douglas Ross’ leadership like rats from a sinking ship - and it must be bad if they are leaving to prop up the economically illiterate and morally bankrupt Tory government instead.

"People across Scotland are sick of the Tories and their self-serving politics of division, and at the next election they will have a chance to show them the door by voting for the only party that can boot them out of Downing Street - Labour."

The SNP's  Kaukab Stewart said: "It's little surprise that yet another Tory MSP wants to abandon Holyrood without a second thought - all for a chance to get closer to their dream of sitting behind their real bosses in Westminster.

"This move just underlines the lack of respect Tories have for The Scottish Parliament and how little they really think of Douglas Ross’ hapless leadership.

"It’s clear that the Tories are going nowhere at Holyrood and even their frontbenchers know it as they desperately seek escape routes."

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Dr Gulhane said: "I was delighted to be selected by local members to stand in East Renfrewshire at the General Election and I am going to fight hard on their behalf to win the seat back from the SNP.

 

"The people of East Renfrewshire want, and deserve, an MP focused on their real priorities – like the global cost-of-living crisis and public services – rather than one obsessed with pushing for another divisive independence referendum."

The constituency is currently held by the SNP's Kirsten Oswald, with a majority of 5,426.

However, the Tories held the seat between 2017 and 2019 and is a key target at the next election, expected at some point next year.