A former Scottish Conservative candidate is taking legal action against her party after being overlooked for a vacant European Parliament seat.

Belinda Don was next in line to fill the vacancy which will be created when MEP Ian Duncan quits Brussels for the House of Lords later this month.

The party's leadership is set to hand the job to Iain McGill, a candidate further down the party list, instead.

Don has now served the party with a writ.

A Scottish Tory spokesman refused to comment on the writ when asked by STV News.

Don served for 12 years as a parliamentary assistant to the former Tory MEP Struan Stevenson.

SNP MP Pete Wishart said the Conservatives were attempting a "stitch up jobs for the boys" which will "put (Scottish leader) Ruth Davidson's cronies where she wants them".