RUTH Davidson is at the centre of a 'stitch-up' row over who should go to Brussels if Scotland’s only Tory MEP moves to Westminster.

The Scottish Tory leader has been accused of trying to install her preferred candidate over the heads of rank-and-file members in an “anti-democratic... breach of trust”.

MEP Ian Duncan is standing in the general election against SNP veteran Pete Wishart in the top Tory target seat of Perth & North Perthshire.

If he wins on Thursday, he would have to quit the European Parliament and would ordinarily be replaced by the next person on the party list at the 2014 Euro election, Belinda Don.

The order of candidates on the list was decided by a vote of Tory members.

However it is understood Mr Davidson does not want Ms Don, who opposed her becoming party leader in 2011, and is trying to ensure businessman Iain McGill is the MEP instead.

If a vacancy arose, the Tories would need to give Scotland’s returning officer a certificate naming their candidate, giving the leadership a chance to promote Mr McGill.

A Tory source admitted: “We will have to address this situation if it arises. We want to make sure we get the right person in place.”

The Herald has seen an email circulated among Tory members by Ms Don’s supporters about the possible carve-up, which encourages people to complain to party HQ.

It accuses Ms Davidson and others of wanting to “ignore” accepted process in what would be “a breach of trust on the part of the leadership” with both Tory members and Tory voters.

Headed “Who elects MEPs, the voters or a party leader?”, it says: “If revealed to the public gaze, the leadership’s proposed actions would rightly be seen as anti-democratic and could be very damaging. If they get away with this, it effectively means there is no point holding selections and elections and that people can just be appointed at the party’s whim.”

Ms Don, 58, worked for 12 years as an assistant to the previous Scottish Tory MEP, Struan Stevenson, and now runs a technical publishing business.

Mr McGill, 40, is a former postman who runs an employment agency.

The row centres on whether the Tory leadership can choose who it wants from the Euro list, or must offer a vacancy to the next person down, as ranked by the members.

Ms Don was ranked number two, while Mr McGill was ranked fifth, but the third and fourth place candidates are now out of contention.

As well as the membership vote, Ms Don has precedent on her side, as the Tories have always turned to the next candidate on the Holyrood list system when replacing MSPs.

Ms Don could not be contacted, but in a recent statement made it clear she wanted to succeed Mr Duncan if a vacancy arose in Brussels, saying: “It would be a wonderful opportunity and honour, particularly at this challenging time, to take up his baton and work to ensure the best possible Brexit deal for the people of Scotland.”

Mr Wishart said: “I’m not surprised the Tories are fighting like ferrets in a sack. It just goes to show their arrogance that they already believe that this is won. I’ll let them get on with their petty, internal party politics and I’ll get on with winning this seat convincingly.”

Mr McGill has a remarkable three chances of becoming a parliamentarian on June 8.

Besides the Brussels option, he is standing for the Westminster seat of Edinburgh North & Leith, and could also become a Lothians MSP via the Holyrood list system if the Tories win Edinburgh South West.

He said he was unaware of any emails and was focused on his constituency fight.

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “At the moment there is no vacancy [in Brussels]. The situation around a vacancy will be considered should that arise.”