Douglas Ross has said he would have been ousted as Scottish Tory leader even if he did not stand for a Westminster seat.

The current Scottish Tory leader – who will be replaced next month – told a fringe audience he would not have stood for the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat if he knew he “wasn’t going to win”.

However, Mr Ross, who has faced criticism from within his own Holyrood party in recent weeks, said he did not think the “final outcome would have been any different”.

Stating that MSPs within his own party were often “briefing against him”, he said: “I’ve known since I became leader that some people didn’t want me to become leader four years ago and throughout that time people have continued to hold that view, and for some that view will have strengthened.”

However, he said: “If I’d known I wasn’t going to win the seat (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East) then I wouldn’t have gone forward with that seat.

“Even if I hadn’t of gone for that seat as the candidate I think would have been in the exact same situation.

“I would no longer have been an MP, I would still have been an MSP and we would still have had roughly the same vote share across the country; therefore there would have been calls – which I would have accepted – for me to stand down.

“So yes, there is personal and reputational damage, people speaking about me and making comments, some of which are legitimate, others I think are wrong.

“But I don’t think the final outcome would have been any different.”

Mr Ross faced internal criticism after he U-turned on a decision not to seek election at the 2024 election.

He announced he would stand for the seat after former MP David Duguid said he was “deselected” the night before the announcement because of ill health.

Mr Ross then confirmed he would step down as leader.

He lost the seat to the SNP on July 4 – but faces further calls to resign immediately after an alleged candidacy row in 2023.

Reports last week said Mr Ross allegedly asked Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey candidate Kathleen Robertson if he could replace her in July 2023 – a claim he has strongly denied.

It is further reported that Mr Ross said he wanted leadership candidate Russell Findlay to replace him.

But Mr Ross went on to tell the fringe audience that it was wrong to suggest his “heart wasn’t in Holyrood”.

He said: “I don’t think anyone can genuinely say my heart wasn’t in (Holyrood) when we were going to battle late at night over gender recognition.

“I worked as hard as I could and others will determine whether I was successful or not.”

However, he also confessed he had not “taken any decision” on whether to seek re-election to Holyrood as Highlands and Islands MSP in 2026.

Six candidates – Mr Findlay, former deputy leader Meghan Gallacher, Murdo Fraser, Jamie Greene, Liam Kerr and Brian Whittle – are in the race to replace Mr Ross as leader.

Nominations opened on Thursday and candidates are required to have the backing of 100 party members by noon on August 22.