Conservative MSP Murray Tosh was elected deputy presiding officer of the Scottish parliament on Thursday.

The position became vacant following the promotion of Patricia Ferguson to the role of parliament minister in this week's reshuffle. The Conservative MSP for the South of Scotland defeated Cathy Peattie by 68 votes to 45, with one abstention.Tosh's election will be seen as the first defeat for new first minister Jack McConnell after it emerged that he would be supporting Cathy Peattie for the position.

The SNP said McConnell's intervention in the process made a mockery of the independence and impartiality of the post.

John Swinney, the party's leader, said: "I believe they are people with the relevant experience, the absolute commitment to this parliament and the objectives that we set out, and the talent and ability to carry Scotland forward."

Peattie had dismissed claims of cronyism as "nonsense".

"I am one of the folk on the left that Jack made sure was dumped from various committees in the long distant past, so I don't think I ever could be accused of being a crony of Jack," she said. "I believe in the parliament and the role of deputy presiding officer has to be independent."