Ross banned from Holyrood chamber after refusing to leave

Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has been banned from parliament for a day after questioning the presiding officer's impartiality.

The Tory MSP refused to leave the chamber on Tuesday evening after being ordered to do so by Alison Johnstone, even when security was called.

The row came as MSPs debated a bill that would have allowed voters to, in effect, sack parliamentarians who have behaved badly.

Ross is understood to have reflected on his decision and wrote to Johnstone to apoligise.

The presiding officer notified Ross that he would be excluded from the parliament chamber on Wednesday and that she expected him to apologise to parliament as a whole on Thursday.

The Tory MSP has been told that if he does not he could face further sanctions.

Johnstone told Ross that she carries out her role "in the interest of all members equally, acting impartially at all times, and will continue to do so".

Ross - who has repeatedly sparred with the presiding officer in recent months - rowed with Johnstone during a debate about a bill that would have introduced a recall mechanism to parliament, allowing voters to remove rule-breaking MSPs.

Raising a point of order at the end of the debate, Ross claimed that Johnstone had interrupted Conservative MSPs when they made points of order, while not interrupting SNP members.

After being asked to withdraw the remarks, Ross said he would "even though I believe them".

Johnstone, who described the response as unsatisfactory, asked Ross to leave the chamber.

But the former Scottish Conservative leader remained in his seat, shaking his head.

Even when a member of the security staff tried to intervene, Ross refused to leave.

After proceedings were paused for several minutes, Johnstone expressed displeasure that her authority had not been respected, but told MSPs she would not let the actions of one MSP disrupt parliamentary business.

Reform's Graham Simpson, who had introduced the recall bill, told parliament a few minutes later that he had never seen a member refuse to leave the chamber before.

He called Ross's behaviour "pretty disgraceful" and said no MSP should ever challenge the presiding officer's authority.

Simpson, who had tabled the recall bill, added: "It's rather ironic given we've been discussing a bill that is all about the behaviour of members."

Johnstone said she could not allow one MSP to disregard the rules of the parliament, adding "one of which very clearly is to respect the authority of the chair".

The Scottish Parliament's standing orders - which set out the standards of behaviour expected of MSPs - state that members "shall respect the authority of the presiding officer".

Under the standing orders, the presiding officer is able to suspend an MSP for up to two sitting days.

Any further suspension must be agreed by the whole parliament.

Ross's behaviour on Tuesday evening has sparked anger among many MSPs.

One told BBC Scotland News he was acting like a child. Another claimed Ross was just trying to get publicity, while a third described him as an embarrassment.

Another referred to the Tory MSP's job as an assistant referee, wondering what he would say if a footballer who had been sent off refused to leave the pitch.

His own party has a degree of sympathy, however. One Conservative admitted that it was frustrating when MSPs felt their attempts to hold the government to account were thwarted.

Jamie Greene, a former Conservative now with the Liberal Democrats, has lodged a motion condemning "the repeated and enduring questioning and undermining of the authority and neutrality of the presiding officer" by Tory MSPs.

The motion declares unequivocal support for Johnstone and calls for sanctions against those guilty of "premeditated" conduct which brings the parliament into disrepute.

If it gains enough support, the motion could be endorsed by the parliament.

Ross, who is standing down as an MSP at May's election, has regularly provoked ire in the chamber by raising points of order.

Most notably, he angered former SNP minister Jamie Hepburn during a debate about justice reforms when he used a point of order to discuss "out of control" seagulls.

Ross claimed that Hepburn grabbed him and swore aggressively outside the chamber following his intervention.

Hepburn apologised and stepped down from government.