The Scotsman

Mundell tells SNP to axe indyref2 after election setback

- By PARIS GOURTSOYAN­NIS

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon must take a second independen­ce referendum off the table once and for all, David Mundell will say today.

The Scottish Secretary will tell the Conservati­ve Party conference in Manchester that unless the SNP abandon plans for a re-run of the 2014 vote, the only way to keep the UK together will be to put Ruth Davidson into Bute House.

Mr Mundell, who was joined by 12 Scottish Conservati­ve MPS after 12 years as the only Tory north of the Border in Westminste­r, is expected to say: “The arrival of a dozen new Scottish Conservati­ve MPS at Westminste­r in June confirmed something Ruth Davidson has been saying for a long time now: Scotland is not the SNP.”

The Dumfriessh­ire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP will say: “The election showed just how badly out of touch Nicola Sturgeon is with public opinion. Instead of addressing the declining standards in Scotland’s schools, instead of tackling the pressures and missed targets that dog Scotland’s NHS, instead of building our way out of Scotland’s growing housing crisis, Nicola Sturgeon subjected Scotland 0 David Mundell will speak at party conference today to a year of political gameplayin­g as she sought to turn the EU referendum into an excuse for a second independen­ce poll.

“I’m glad the election result forced her to put her constituti­onal campaign on hold. But for how long?”

Mr Mundell is expected to add: “We’re told a second independen­cereferend­um is on the back burner.

“Well, it’s time Nicola Sturgeon took a fire extinguish­er to it so Scotland can get on with what really matters. I hope she takes the opportunit­y to do so at her party’s conference in a few days’ time. If she won’t, we will.”

In an interview last month, the First Minister admitted she “didn’t know” whether a second referendum on Scottish independen­ce would take place.

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