Ayrshire politicians have today spoken of their 'relief' at the departure of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The under-fire PM today confirmed that he will stand down as leader of the Conservative Party in order to make way for a new leader.
Johnson’s departure comes in the wake of approximately 60 resignations from his own government ministers, or their Permanent Private Secretaries (PPSs).
The mass resignations follow the Chris Pincher row.
The PM appointed Pincher as deputy chief whip earlier this year, but admitted to the BBC he did so despite being aware of misconduct allegations against him, prompting a huge wave of criticism over his judgement.
But it remains unclear how long Johnson will remain as PM before his successor is announced — with Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer already pushing for a 'No Confidence' vote in Parliament in a bid to oust him sooner.
South Scotland Conservative List MSP, Brian Whittle, said he was “glad” the PM accepted that he couldn’t remain in office after a string of “poor decisions.”
Mr Whittle said: “He made some good decisions at the height of the pandemic and around the UK’s swift and strong support for Ukraine, but those cannot excuse his repeated errors of judgement on issues like support for MPs accused of unacceptable behaviour and parties in Downing Street during lockdown.
“We should now move quickly to restore stability to the government and appoint a new leader who can draw a line under Boris Johnson’s time as Prime Minister.
“The last election delivered a big majority for the Conservative Party, and I still believe that the Conservative Party are best placed to lead the UK through this cost-of-living crisis and deliver the change the country needs.
“It’s time for a return to the kind of ambitious, practical leadership that focussed on the issues that matter most - dealing with the cost-of-living crisis and strengthening the economy, investing in our infrastructure, recovering from the pandemic, moving towards net-zero and standing up for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.”
Mr Whittle added: “As we begin the search for a new leader of the UK Conservative Party and Prime Minister, I look forward to hearing how the candidates propose to deliver on those ambitions and improve the lives of people across the UK, including in my South Scotland Region.”
But Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown issued an altogether different response, on social media, saying: “They knew that Boris was a liar when they voted for him.
“They knew he was unfit to hold public office. They knew he was corrupt to the core. They resign now only because he is a threat to their own careers.
“He will be replaced by another Prime Minister that Scotland did not vote for. Westminster is broken. It’s time for independence.”
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley SNP MSP Elena Whitham, said: “Whichever Tory MP becomes the new Prime Minister doesn’t change the fact that the Westminster system is broken and Scotland can choose a different path through independence, not with Westminster governments that do not command the support of people in Scotland.”
And South Scotland Labour List MSP Carol Mochan said: “It matters little who is at the head of the Tory party, the ideology stays the same. You will not stop the damage they are doing to this country until they are voted out of office.”
Fellow South Scotland Labour MSP, Colin Smyth, said today: "People across our region will breathe a sigh of relief that this charlatan will soon be out the door of No.10 but the fact that in his resignation speech he still said he should have been allowed to continue says all you need to know about Boris Johnson.
"Boris Johnson should have quit months ago and local Tory MPs and MSPs who continued to back him when he was breaking the law time after time are complicit in inflicting his carnage on our country. We should never forget that time after time they all backed him and more damagingly his policies.
"We need not just a change of Prime Minister, but a General Election so we can have a change of Government.”
Ruth Maguire, MSP for Cunninghame South, said whoever is in charge of the Conservative party at Westminster; their policies will continue to harm Scotland.
Ms Maguire said: “Boris Johnston has proven time and time again he is unfit to hold the office of Prime Minister. Whilst I am glad he has finally done the right thing and resigned the truth is that, for Scotland, the democratic deficit remains and whoever leads the Westminster Tories their policies will continue to harm our citizens and hold us back.”
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley MSP Willie Coffey added: "I said before, Boris would only go when he was pushed by the weight of his MPs and that finally happened on Wednesday night. To describe them as the ‘herd’ has made it worse for him and he has shown no remorse at all for his many blunders and lies.
"All the Tories talked about was the ‘good of the country’ but they mean England, not Scotland. We didn’t support him and never will support the Tories here.
"Our future is best served by independence and the near collapse of the UK government brings independence closer as more Scots will want nothing more to do with that broken corrupt regime.
"They are all still there - apart from him."
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