A senior SNP minister has been accused of physical assault by the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives.Douglas Ross claims he was grabbed on the shoulder by Parliamentary Business Minister Jamie Hepburn after a parliament debate and was shouted and sworn at by him.He has demanded that First Minister John Swinney axes him from his government over his behaviour, which he said is a breach of the Scottish ministerial code.Mr Ross has reported the issue to the Scottish Parliament authorities and also intends to contact police about it.The row happened after Mr Ross used a parliamentary procedure on Wednesday night to demand a ministerial statement on concerns about an upcoming seagull summit.Raising the issue at the end of First Minister’s Questions today (THUR), Mr Ross said: ‘First Minister, as I left the chamber yesterday I was physically assaulted and verbally abused by your minister for parliamentary business, Jamie Hepburn.‘I’m wondering if the First Minister will make a statement and take an opportunity to say he has a zero-tolerance approach to threatening and intimidating behaviour by his ministers.‘I have raised this yesterday afternoon with parliamentary officials. I notice the minister for parliamentary business is not in the chamber this afternoon, therefore will he be making a statement on this incident later today?’ SNP minister Jamie Hepburn has been accused of assaulting former Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross Douglas Ross claims Jamie Hepburn grabbed him and shouted and swore at him at Holyrood The confrontation followed a debate about a seagull summitSpeaking to journalists at Holyrood, Mr Ross said he was ‘grabbed’ by Mr Hepburn as he left the chamber on Wednesday and ‘he started swearing in my face’.He said that as he left the back of the chamber Mr Hepburn ‘continued to hold onto me, his grab got stronger and stronger, his words got louder and more aggressive and it was very clear he was getting angrier and angrier and he was struggling to control his anger’.He said the row was about asking for too many statements from ministers, and added: ‘The language he used was “you and your effing statements, so many effing statements, do you think I’ve got effing time for your effing statements?”‘I made the point that we were walking out at 20 past four so we did have time, because we actually finished early yesterday.‘He just continued to get more and more aggressive.’Mr Ross said the confrontation happened in front of MSPs, Scottish Government civil servants, security and other parliamentary staff, and he has reported it to the Scottish Parliament chief executive.He said: ‘I think the ministerial code is very clear, I looked at that this morning when I received a response from the parliament chief executive.‘The behaviour I experienced from the minister is absolutely against what is in the ministerial code. I can see no way he can continue in his role in government, particularly in a role which means he has to work with MSPs.’He said he is now unable to be in the chamber with Mr Hepburn because ‘I would worry about his reaction if his reaction to asking for one statement was to grab me and to swear at me in an aggressive manner’.Asked if he was hurt, Mr Ross said: ‘Yes I was hurt where he grabbed me. Someone grabbing you for a minute as you are trying to walk out the chamber hurts.‘I don’t believe there is any way the First Minister can support his minister when it so clear and people witnessed that action, because the ministerial code is very clear that will not be tolerated – those are the words in the ministerial code and I wouldn’t expect John Swinney to tolerate it.’Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone addressed the allegations when Mr Ross raised them in the chamber, saying: ‘This is a very serious allegation and it is important that it is dealt with through the appropriate processes.‘I expect all members to take their responsibilities under the code of conduct seriously.’Speaking after FMQs, Mr Swinney said: ‘It’s the first I’ve heard about it. Obviously I was away yesterday so I don’t have any knowledge about it.’He said he would now ‘consider these issues’. Douglas Ross after the alleged incident at the Scottish Parliament Jamie Hepburn regrets the use of 'industrial language'Mr Hepburn said: ‘I will freely fess up to things I’ve done but I won’t apologise for things I’ve not done.‘So yesterday, yeah, I put my hand on his shoulder and yeah probably used a few choice words I shouldn’t have. That’s it.’Asked if he had been threatening, he said: ‘I used some words I shouldn’t have yesterday. Industrial language I accept, I shouldn’t have done that.’He said he recognises he shouldn’t have used the language but denied assault, saying: ‘I put my hands on his shoulder and used a few words I shouldn’t have.’He refused to say if he thought he had breached the ministerial code and refused to commit.On whether he regretted the physical contact and whether he would do it again, he said: ‘I should not have used the words I used yesterday.’Mr Hepburn said he ‘should have kept my cool’. Asked whether he gets angry like that often, he said: ‘I shouldn’t have used the language and thankfully I don’t do that all that often.’When asked if he would be sacked, a spokesman for the First Minister said: ‘No.’