A REFERENDUM IS THE WRONG PRIORITY AT THE WORST TIME

AS the Conservative and Unionist Party, the protection and strengthening of our United Kingdom should be the first priority of every Conservative Government. It is the most successful political union in history, and has stood the test of time in withstanding some of the greatest challenges we have ever faced.

From Aberdeen to Aberystwyth, Belfast to Norwich, our union of peoples has punched well above its weight.

If we don’t have the party leader best equipped to defeat Labour at the next election, we could very well be putting it at risk. A Starmer-Blackford coalition would be bad news for many reasons but most important of all is the stability of our one United Kingdom.

I know all too well the financial benefits that our union provides.

During the pandemic, my financial support packages helped protect over 900,000 Scottish jobs through the furlough scheme, and provided over £1.7billion in support for self-employed Scots.

Our bounce back loan schemes provided over £2.7billion worth of support for Scottish businesses. Whether you were in Orkney or Inverness, you could trust that the UK Government was on your side.

But really it is our shared values that make our country so great.

When my parents moved here in the 1960s, they didn’t move to England, they moved to the United Kingdom. It was and still is a beacon of aspiration for so many people around the world.

Working together and uniting is what made us such a formidable force on the world stage.

Scotland has achieved so much as part of the UK, and the UK has achieved so much because of Scotland. We can build on that success for the future, and I have a plan to do it.

In the same way that the might of our Union stepped up to help people in all corners of the UK during the pandemic, it’s going to have to help people through the immediate months and challenges ahead.

That is why I have made sure that the majority of the support packages that I introduced as Chancellor were all UK-wide, and it’s how I will continue if I am chosen to be the next Prime Minister.

The scale of the challenge ahead is going to need all of us pushing in the same direction. We need to stop talking about powers, constitution, and process, and we need to all exert our efforts into the real priorities of the Scottish people.

I am clear that another referendum is the wrong priority at the worst possible moment. The SNP are wrong to try and tear the country apart when we should be pulling together. Why aren’t they talking about the drugs crisis in Scotland or how we can get more money into Scottish workers’ pockets?

Just as I want to be more accountable to people in every corner of the United Kingdom, so too does the SNP need to be more accountable for their responsibilities. They cannot continue to claim credit for all the good things that happen in Scotland, whilst blaming the UK Government for the bad. This isn’t a sustainable solution for the future, and I will stand up to the SNP to ensure that they’re delivering and focusing on the job at hand. My Scottish Conservative colleagues in Holyrood continue to do a fantastic job holding them to account, and I look forward to the opportunity of working with them closely.

But as a Conservative UK Government, we can’t just stop a referendum, we also need to drive down support for independence, too.

We need to win the argument and show that you can be a patriotic Scot and a proud advocate of our United Kingdom at the same time. One is not exclusive to the other.

THAT’S also why it’s so important that we have an energetic UK Government that is on the side of the Scottish people, delivering on their priorities. We have to be a lot more active across the UK, and that means putting an end to the devolve and forget mentality that has shadowed Westminster for decades. Gone are the days of ‘for Scotland, see Scottish Government’.

Using the financial spending powers that we have regained since leaving the European Union, I plan to be the most active UK Government since devolution began over 20 years ago.

I will continue the work that I started as Chancellor by investing more money directly into local communities.

Westminster and Holyrood don’t hold the monopoly on knowing what’s best for Scottish town and villages. It’s Scottish communities themselves who know what’s best for them, and I trust them to make the right decisions.

Scotland is central in my vision for the UK and the bright future we have ahead.

To achieve all this, we must defeat Labour at the next General Election and stop them from making a deal with the SNP.

I am the only candidate who can achieve that, and I’ve never been more motivated to deliver it.