A senior Tory MSP has claimed Douglas Ross has been "consistent" over his stance on Boris Johnson despite being accused of "flip-flopping".
Stephen Kerr, Conservative Chief Whip at Holyrood, defended the Scottish Tory leader after he called for the Prime Minister to quit ahead of the confidence vote in Westminster yesterday.
Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of the Prime Minister as part of a confidence vote which has left him wounded.
Ahead of the ballot, Ross said he would be voting against Johnson after previously saying he said now was not the time to change leader when the war in Ukraine is still raging.
Four of the six Scottish Tory MPs cast their ballots against the PM with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Banff & Buchan MP David Duguid saying they have confidence in him.
On the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme Kerr was asked about his leader's position and how it has changed over the last six months.
Presenter Laura Maxwell asked: "Why did Douglas Ross decide to vote against Boris Johnson last night at such a late stage?"
Kerr said: "Douglas has been consistent in terms of the principle."
Maxwell replied: "What is your definition of consistent, he's been anything but consistent.
"He said he put a letter in then he took a letter out, then he didn't put a letter in and waited till other people did that.
"Then he voted against the Prime Minister. Where's the consistency?"
Kerr said: "I can understand why you say that, but in truth he has been completely consistent with the principle.
"He made it clear from the outset that he had huge doubts about the conduct of the prime minister, he said that from the very beginning.
"It was only when circumstances changed with the Russian invasion of Ukraine that he said, 'look, there are some things right now that we need to set aside we'll come back to them.'"
Maxwell asked: "What changed yesterday?"
"He wasn't alone in this, Keir Starmer himself said the same thing. This was a moment when Russia invaded Ukraine and Kyiv was threatened, it was a time for us to concentrate our efforts to support the Ukrainian people, and Douglas was clear on that," Kerr replied.
Following the vote the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford accused Ross of flip-flopping on the Prime Minister.
He said: "Tory MPs should have drawn a line under Boris Johnson's disastrous time as Prime Minister but instead they've bottled it - allowing this damaging circus to continue and leaving the Westminster government in crisis.
"The UK is now stuck in limbo with a lame duck Prime Minister who has lost the confidence of the public - and more than forty per cent of his own MPs - and is left limping around on borrowed time while the Tory party descends into bitter division.
"As for Douglas Ross, his position is completely untenable. If he had any principles or dignity he should quit as Scottish Tory leader. He has made himself look utterly ridiculous by flip-flopping over Boris Johnson's future and will have no authority or credibility if he tries to cling on."
Timeline of Douglas Ross' position since January
In January, the MP for Moray submitted a letter of no confidence in Johnson over partygate, however just two months later on the eve of the Tory party conference in Aberdeen he withdrew his letter citing the Ukrainian war.
After the PM was fined by the Metropolitan Police in April a number of Tory MPs called for Johnson's resignation but Ross, again citing the war, said it was not the right time.
In May following the damning Sue Gray report Ross said he shouldn't step down at that moment, however should quit office after the war in Ukraine.
Just over an hour before the confidence vote yesterday Douglas Ross changed his mind again and said it was time for the PM to quit.
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