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Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross suggests Gavin Williamson should quit over exam results crisis

The Tory MP said the government should "reflect" on their handling of England's exam results

2 min read

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has suggested Gavin Williamson should step down over England's exam results crisis.

The Moray MP has refused to give his backing to the Education Secretary as he called on him to "reflect" on his handling of England's exam results.

Earlier this week Mr Williamson said he was "incredibly sorry for the distress" caused to pupils after he was forced to make a humiliating U-turn over the A-level and GCSE downgrading fiasco.

But the beleagured Cabinet minister is facing increasing calls to resign over the crisis after it was announced on Wednesday that BTEC students would have to wait longer for their results following last minute changes to the grading system.

Speaking on Thursday morning, the Scottish Tory leader failed to say Mr Williamson should continue in his role.

He told Radio Scotland: "I'm not here to say in your report that I think Gavin Williamson has done a great job and he should continue.

"I think he has to reflect on what happened to so many pupils in England, students who were concerned for four days, because we have the exact same up here in Scotland for a week."

The comments come after Mr Ross called on Scottish Education Secretary John Swinney to resign over a similar exams debacle in Scotland.

He added: "I think Gavin Williamson and the government and the Department for Education will be reflecting on why did they not see the problem that the SNP had to deal with as a result of their actions in Scotland."

Mr Ross, who stepped down as a Government minister earlier this year in opposition to the government's handling of Dominic Cumming's lockdown trip to Durham, also refused to give his vocal support to Boris Johnson.

Asked if he "admired" the Prime Minister, he told the programme: "I admired any prime minister or leader of any country."

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