CHANGES are afoot in the Scottish Conservative party as a number of key players in Douglas Ross’s top team step down.
Some have only been in post for just over a year and the shake-up of some of the Scottish party leader’s key staff members comes after upset earlier in the month caused by Oliver Mundell stepping down from the opposition frontbench and Dean Lockhart abruptly quitting politics altogether.
Kieran Andrews, The Times’ Scottish political editor, reports that Jon Novakovic will leave as Ross’s head of staff at the end of October while communications director David Bateman and head of digital Harley Lothian will step down following the UK party conference, expected early next month.
According to a story in the Edinburgh Reporter from September last year, all three were only appointed to their roles just over a year ago.
Big changes at the top of the Scottish Tories. Jon Novakovic will leave as Douglas Ross's chief of staff at the end of October. David Bateman will leave his post as director of comms and Harley Lothian her role as head of digital after UK party conference
— Kieran Andrews (@KieranPAndrews) September 18, 2022
Novakovic joined the Scottish Tories last year after beginning his career as an Australian political adviser before moving into work with charities and groups working in conflict zones like Afghanistan and Syria.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he remains a board member of Scotland’s International Development Alliance.
It comes amid a period of turmoil for Ross’s party, which was rocked earlier in the month with a double whammy of resignation announcements in just one day.
Mundell, the party’s former education spokesperson, said he had quit that role to better focus on his young family.
Lockhart, an MSP from 2016 and the former chair of Holyrood's net zero committee, has quit parliament entirely to take on a new and undisclosed role with a firm he said was focused on helping society reach net zero targets.
Bateman and Lothian are planning on starting a new digital communications company.
Bateman said: "It's been a pleasure working for the Scottish Conservatives and I wish the party every success in the future."
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: "We would like to thank all three for their service to the party and wish them all the very best for the future.”
