SCOTTISH Tory leader Ruth Davidson has been accused of presiding over a farcical game of musical chairs, after a Tory peer became Scotland’s new MEP, and was forced to take an immediate leave of absence from the House of Lords to do the job.

Baroness Nosheena Mobarik fills a vacancy left by Dr Ian Duncan, who left Brussels to go in the opposite direction and take a place in the Lords.

Ms Mobarik also starts in Brussels on Monday amid claims of a “stitch-up” that saw Ms Davidson veto the person who was expected to fill the role.

The MEP’s position became vacant after Dr Duncan tried and failed to become the MP for Perth and North Perthshire in June’s snap election.

In what was seen as compensation, he was given a peerage and made a minister in the Scotland Office, forcing him to give up his seat in the European Parliament, as MEPs cannot take part in business in the Lords.

Ordinarily, the vacancy would have been filled by activist Belinda Don, who was chosen by Tory members to be number two on the party list for the 2014 Euro election.

Tory HQ in London initially confirmed Ms Don would be certified as the party’s choice.

However last month Ms Davidson, who is known to disapprove of Ms Don, and the Scottish Tory management board intervened to block her.

Ms Davidson was understood to want Edinburgh businessman Iain McGill to go to Brussels, even though he was ranked fifth on the 2014 list.

However, as number three on the list, Baroness Mobarik, a peer since 2014, was offered the job first by Scotland’s returning officer and took it.

Ms Don, who worked as an MEP’s assistant for 12 years, said Ms Davidson and the Scottish Tory leadership had “hammered another nail into the coffin of democracy by ignoring both the wishes of their own members and more importantly their voters”.

She said: “The rampant cronyism of Ruth and the leadership is staggering beyond belief. The total disregard that Ruth shows both for her members, voters and electoral law would shame a third world despot.”

SNP MEP Alyn Smith said the epsiode was a stain on Ms Davidson’s leadership.

He said: “This is the culmination in a really sorry episode for democracy – which paints a picture of cronyism and control freakery at the top of Ruth Davidson’s Tory party.

“A summer of self-serving internal Tory squabbling has left Scotland without full representation in Brussels for months.

“And now Ruth Davidson has railroaded through her preferred candidate, making a mockery of the democratic process altogether, hand picking her preferred candidate in what is a deeply questionable move. It’s a complete stitch-up and it stinks of cronyism.

“If you’re a Tory in Scotland today and your face fits then don’t worry about getting anywhere on merit – Ruth Davidson will fix you up with a cushy job in the Lords anyway.

“It’s high time she broke her silence on this farcical display of musical chairs and explained her disdain for democracy to the Scottish people.”

Baroness Mobarik, 59, whose leave of absence from the Lords will last until Brexit abolishes her new job, said: “It is a great honour to be able to serve Scotland in this way. I am keen to get straight down to business by taking up a seat in the European Parliament immediately.

“My sole focus will be to represent the people of Scotland in Brussels and to do my bit to ensure our departure from the European Union is handled as smoothly as possible.”