ELECTION LATEST
THERESA May yesterday vowed to put her ‘heart and soul’ into protecting the Union, claiming she would never stand by and let it ‘drift apart’.
The Prime Minister said it was her ‘personal priority’ to defend the UK against the SNP’s bid for a second independence referendum.
And she pledged that if re-elected she would lead a ‘Unionist government’ dedicated to strengthening the UK’s position at home and overseas.
In her most passionate plea yet, Mrs May said: ‘As long as I am Prime Minister, I will never stand by and let out Union drift apart. Across the United Kingdom, we may be four nations, but at heart we are one people. We all have a stake in each other’s We need a government committed heart and soul to strengthening and sustaining our precious Union of nations and people.’
On Thursday, the Tory leader launched her party’s UK manifesto in which she vowed to block another referendum until the ‘Brexit process has played out’ and there is clear evidence of ‘public consent’ for one.
Mrs May raised the prospect of putting off a second vote indefinitely as she twice refused to say when it would be the right time or how she would judge ‘public consent’.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell admitted this may rule out an independence referendum before the 2021 Holyrood election.
Since taking over as Prime Minister last year, Mrs May has made a number of high-profile visits to Scotland. Yesterday she was in Edinburgh to launch the Scottish Tory manifesto with Scots party leader Ruth Davidson. Speaking at the event, Mrs May said: ‘It is time to put the old, tribal politics behind us. Every vote from Scotland will strengthen my hand when I stand up for our United Kingdom here at home. And something else is clear. Only the Conservative and Unionist Party has the strength and credibility to stand up to the Nationalists and defend our United Kingdom.
‘Jeremy Corbyn is too weak to stand up for our Union, even if he wanted to. According to him, a second independence referendum would be “absolutely fine”.
‘I have been clear that now is not the time for another independence referendum. This is a time to pull together, not apart.
‘A vote for any other party is a vote to weaken our Union, to weaken our negotiating hand in Europe and to put our future prosperity and security at risk.’
In March, Nicola Sturgeon revealed her intentions to hold another divisive vote to break up Britain. She has since requested a Section 30 order from the Prime Minister, which would allow her to hold a referendum, but Mrs May has insisted ‘now is not the time’.
The Tories are targeting Westminster seats across Scotland, with hopes of ousting a number of senior SNP figures including former First Minister Alex Salsuccess.
‘This is a time to pull together’
mond, deputy leader Angus Robertson and Pete Wishart.
Yesterday, a YouGov poll showed the Tories were on track to win eight Scottish seats. However, the Prime Minister refused to speculate on how many Scottish MPs her party could gain.
The latest poll carried out in Scotland also found support for independence was 45 per cent – the same as the 2014 referendum result. This was revealed only
hours after Mrs May said there must be clear evidence of ‘public consent’ before another vote is held.
It is understood this could include election results and polling over a sustained period in favour of separation.
The Prime Minister also said she believes that the UK can emerge from Brexit a ‘stronger, more prosperous and more united country than ever before’.
She added: ‘Too often in the past, UK Governments have tended to devolve and forget. The government I lead will put that right.’
Mrs May knocked down Miss Sturgeon’s suggestion that she must be given a seat at the Brexit negotiating table if the SNP wins the most seats in Scotland. The Prime Minister said: ‘When these negotiations take place, they’re going to take place between the UK and the 27 other countries within the EU. I and David Davis and others will be in there representing the whole of the United Kingdom.’
During a speech at the manifesto launch, Miss Davidson promised that her party would ‘not roll over’ when the SNP demands a re-run of the 2014 vote. She said: ‘Let me give Nicola Sturgeon this friendly advice. The Prime Minister says she’s a bloody difficult woman. Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I will fight and fight and fight to protect the decision we made as a country.’
Miss Davidson argued that the best example to judge public consent was the run-up to the 2014 referendum when the Nationalists had won a Holyrood majority, every MSP voted for it and there was ‘92 per cent support across the country’.
She added: ‘We need something a lot more like what we had in 2011-12 before I think the UK Government should give its consent.’
SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson said: ‘Theresa May flew into Edinburgh today to deliver one simple message to the people of Scotland – get back in your box. The fact is, any Tory MPs elected in Scotland will put Theresa May’s extreme Brexit before the jobs in Scotland they should be protecting.’