Nicola renews her vow to break up UK

Sturgeon will use election to boost bid for second referendum

NICOLA sturgeon yesterday called Theresa May’s plans for a snap election a ‘huge miscalculation’ as she vowed to use it as a chance to break up the UK.

The scottish First Minister said votes for the SNP would reinforce her mandate for a second independence referendum.

But Mrs May last night promised to campaign ‘unashamedly’ to protect the ‘very precious union’ amid hopes of a Tory revival north of the border.

The battle for the 59 constituencies in scotland could become a fight for the future of Britain as the two leaders remain locked in a stand-off over a second vote on independence.

The SNP is demanding a ballot between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. But Mrs May has insisted that ‘now is not the time’ and ministers have even ruled out talks on a poll until after Brexit.

Yesterday Miss sturgeon hit out at the decision to call a June 8 election as she pledged to use it to strengthen her case for a new referendum. insisting she already has ‘a cast-iron mandate for having a referendum’, she argued the election could underline her case further.

‘This move is a huge political miscalculation by the Prime Minister,’ she said. ‘it will once again give people the opportunity to reject the Tories’ narrow, divisive agenda, as well as reinforcing the democratic mandate which already exists for giving the people of scotland a choice on their future,’ she said.

her spokesman added last night: ‘The Prime Minister might have miscalculated if she thinks that having this is going to give her a clear mandate in scotland against a referendum.’

Miss sturgeon also accused the PM of putting her party before the country, saying Mrs May is ‘clearly betting that the Tories can win a bigger majority in England given the utter disarray in the Labour Party’.

in the 2015 general election the SNP picked up 56 of the 59 constituencies north of the border – a result the party could struggle to repeat. in contrast, Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats won just one seat each.

however, Mrs May believes the Tories could see a surge in support that boosts her case. she told ITV News: ‘This union we have between Northern ireland, England, scotland and Wales is a very precious union, i think we all benefit by it.

‘i will unashamedly be out there campaigning for the future of the United Kingdom as a united kingdom.’ scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who last year saw her party move from third to second in the scottish Parliament elections, yesterday said she was hopeful of a similar surge in support in June.

The nationalists will ‘use this campaign to try and manufacture a case for separation’, she said.

‘Our very precious union’