Scots Tory MPs promise to ‘call the shots’ over negotiations with the EU

SCOTS Tories are ready to flex their muscles and ‘call the shots’ on Brexit, a senior source has told The Scottish Mail on Sunday.

He confirmed the 13 MPs from north of the Border will vote as a bloc to deliver the best possible deal for Scotland.

Sending a clear message to Theresa May, the source said Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson would be ‘dominant’ in deciding what line the Scots MPs take.

Miss Davidson’s close ally – new Scotland Office Minister Lord Duncan – warned against pulling up the drawbridge on EU workers after Brexit. Unlike SNP Ministers, Tories will not demand a separate Scottish deal and insist Brexit must safeguard Scotland’s place inside the UK.

But they will argue for a good deal for farmers, fishermen, rural tourism and all sectors that rely on EU migrant workers.

The source said: ‘Hotels and agriculture rely hugely on immigration and we are acutely alive to the fact this is a very significant issue.’

Former MEP Lord Duncan said: ‘We’ve got to make sure we are able to draw on the talents and skills… to make sure our economy can grow.’

A spokesman for Scots Brexit minister Michael Russell said: ‘There is overwhelming support in Scotland for staying in the single market and overwhelming concern about the disaster the current Tory approach would be for Scottish jobs, our economy and our living standards.’

But Lord Duncan warned the SNP must focus on what is best for the UK as a whole, not just its independence obsession.

He added that ‘migration challenges’ were not dissimilar north and south of the Border.