Boris Johnson made a "mistake" in ruling out a national lockdown just weeks before announcing further restrictions for England, Douglas Ross has said.
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives said nothing should have been ruled out when discussion arose over lockdown possibilities last month, and that it was "probably a mistake" of the Prime Minister to do so.
Mr Johnson had previously criticised a call from labour for stricter nationwide rules, but announced on Saturday that England would enter a one-month lockdown due to rising virus levels.
READ MORE: New tier system comes into force across Scotland today — check your area's restrictions and what they mean for you
In an interview with BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Ross said: “I don’t think anything should have been ruled out. And it probably was a mistake of the Prime Minister to rule out a national lockdown.”
He also said that furlough should be available for Scotland "at any point" of the pandemic.
As part of his announcement on Saturday, Boris Johnson said the furlough scheme would be extended until December for the duration of a national lockdown in England.
He said: "I hope we don’t need to go into these tougher restrictions in Scotland, and I hope people following the guidance that has been laid out, gets us on top of the virus - but should we need to take that difficult decision in Scotland, then the furlough scheme must be made available.
"Not just in the next month that at the same time England is in the scheme, but at any point in this pandemic.”
He then added: “If we need to go into that lockdown situation in Scotland again at any point in this pandemic, it is absolutely clear that the vital support that Rishi Sunak and the Treasury have provided Scottish businesses to protect Scottish jobs over this pandemic has to be made available.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the new lockdown levels in Scotland
Scotland’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes suggested the UK Treasury is continuing to deny requests for full furlough to be made available whenever it is needed.
She said: “We have requested urgent discussions with Treasury Ministers and will continue to press for a fair deal for Scotland and to ensure that Scotland has the fiscal support it needs from the UK Government to help businesses, people and communities cope with the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.”
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