SCOTLAND NEEDS A BOLD LEADER TO TAKE ON THE SNP – IT HAS TO BE TRUSS

THE first duty of any Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has to be to champion the Union. This is all the more important for the leader of our Conservative and Unionist Party. As Secretary of State for Scotland for more than four years, I have seen up close the importance Prime Ministers place on delivering for people in every region and nation. I know the strains our precious Union has come under due to those vying to see it broken up.

Almost a decade ago, Scots voted decisively to stay part of our Union. Yet the Nationalists are still desperate to refight that referendum in a shameless excuse to get away from their record of delivery.

We need a leader who has the courage of their convictions as a Unionist. They need to be steely in order to work with Nicola Sturgeon, rising above her petty nationalist games and grievances. They need to be dedicated to delivering for every part of our United Kingdom, no matter the challenge.

That is why I am backing Liz Truss. I know how deeply and personally – from her own life experience as a ‘child of the Union’, growing up in Paisley and Leeds – she feels that unique connection we have across our United Kingdom.

I have also seen her determination to deliver for Scotland time after time in Cabinet. She was an ally and advocate at the Treasury. As Trade Secretary she brought additional resources to Scotland and ended the longest-running trade dispute in history by securing the suspension of tariffs relating to Boeing-Airbus.

This was a boon for Scottish businesses seeking to trade with our largest single trading partner, the United States.

It removed tariffs on exports of whisky and cashmere, boosting sales of the UK’s biggest food and drink export around the world and supporting thousands of jobs across Scotland. As Foreign Secretary she ensured her department had a footprint across the whole UK and played a key role in the Government’s Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow, the largest ever gathering of presidents and prime ministers on British soil to champion a greener world.

Now she is gripping the Northern Ireland Protocol, pioneering legislation to fix the issues in a way which upholds the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement while protecting the integrity of our United Kingdom.

As Prime Minister, we can trust Liz to continue to deliver with the same clarity of purpose. She has a clear plan to level up the UK in a Conservative way through low-tax, low-regulation zones to incentivise and unlock the investment that drives growth in our communities.

This does not just mean the north of England, but across all of our communities; from Armagh to Anglesey to Aberdeen. Her government will not be London-centric but will reach out to the whole country, particularly rural communities, like those I represent, who feel increasingly marginalised.

SHE knows that power is best exercised as close to the people it affects as possible. She is committed to working closely with the devolved administrations to deliver on the priorities of every person in the UK.

But she will not hesitate to hold the SNP to account and face down its threats.

Throughout this campaign Liz has made it absolutely clear that now is not the time for a second referendum on Scottish independence and that is the view shared by people right across Scotland, even by many with nationalist sympathies. They want both their governments to move on from the constitutional wrangling and focus on the issues that really matter to them.

This is what Liz will do as Prime Minister at home while, abroad, she will continue to lead by example in response to Putin’s horrendous war in Ukraine and facing down authoritarian regimes such as China.

She believes that together we can show our strength and stand tall as one proud United Kingdom.