Conservative MP Douglas Ross has taken a bit of a battering after ditching a Parliamentary debate about welfare reform on Wednesday in favour of running the line at the Camp Nou.
As well as being the Tory MP for Moray, Ross is also a qualified professional assistant referee, and can regularly be seen officiating in the Scottish Premiership.
He has also been selected as part of the team of officials responsible for overseeing Barcelona’s Champions League tie against Olympiakos, which coincides with the vote on the Government’s proposed roll-out of Universal Credit.
As such, it was left to SNP MP John McNally to deliver a sarcastic ‘red card’ to his contemporary in absentia at the House of Commons this afternoon…
SNP MP @JohnMcNallyMP shows skiving Tory MP Douglas Ross the red card at #PMQs pic.twitter.com/NxOIaAN1PC
— Liam Furby (@MrFurby) October 18, 2017
Withering.
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives later assured us all (via Sky News) that while Ross will indeed be moonlighting in Barcelona tonight, he’s still doing a bang-up job when it comes to representing his constituents.
Douglas has held more than 50 surgeries since becoming an MP and has met personally with Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke to discuss local cases which have arisen from those.
The people of Moray are right behind Douglas and his refereeing, as they showed decisively when they elected him as their MP just a few months ago.
So there you go.