A Scottish minister has resigned after a row over aggressive gulls escalated into an angry altercation with former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross. Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish government's minister for parliamentary business, tendered his resignation after Ross accused him of assault outside the parliament chamber on Wednesday.
Ross alleged that Hepburn grabbed him by the shoulder and subjected him to verbal abuse after Ross challenged the government's apparent failure to tackle gull attacks in his region. Hepburn denied the assault but acknowledged using aggressive language, leading Ross to demand an investigation under the ministerial code by First Minister John Swinney.
The altercation was not caught on CCTV, but an unnamed MSP from another party backed Ross's account. In his resignation letter, Hepburn described his behaviour as “quite out of character” and said it fell short of his personal code of practice. He expressed regret that his tenure in ministerial office ended in this fashion after 11 years of continuous service.
Ross said Hepburn later apologised in person, and described the resignation as the “correct decision”. He criticised Swinney for not sacking Hepburn sooner. Swinney accepted the resignation with “much personal regret”, praising Hepburn's usual courtesy and respect.
