Nicola slated over ‘Project Fear’ claims

NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of hypocrisy for railing against fearmongering, having previously claimed the NHS would be privatised if Scots rejected independence

Yesterday, David Cameron seized on another scare story from the First Minister, urging voters to back EU membership and stop her launching another separation bid.

In London yesterday, Miss Sturgeon reiterated her threat that Scotland being pulled out of the EU against its will would trigger another independence referendum.

That is despite her promising the 2014 vote was a ‘once in a generation’ event.

During that campaign, Miss Sturgeon claimed rejecting independence could see the Scottish NHS privatised by Westminster, even though it is under the control of Holyrood.

That claim has since been shown to be baseless, unlike Unionist warnings about the volatility of oil.

Scottish Tory chief whip John Lamont said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon is once again showing there is no limit to the SNP’s hypocrisy.

‘In the independence referendum campaign, people were bombarded with leaflets warning them the NHS would be wrecked if they voted No. Now Nicola Sturgeon has the brass neck to preach to the rest of the UK about the need to avoid scare tactics.

‘The SNP’s claims about the pro-UK campaign were and still are completely wrong – and we all now know from the collapse in the oil price that our concerns about the cost of separation were amply justified.

‘On the other hand, Nicola Sturgeon’s scaremongering has been exposed as utter rubbish. She should show some humility by accepting she got it wrong and, during this referendum, spare the rest of the UK yet more SNP preaching.’

Miss Sturgeon said the In campaign cannot afford to squander the kind of lead the Unionists gave up during the Scottish referendum, if it is to win.

She warned: ‘ One of t he undoubted lessons of the Scottish experience is that a miserable, negative, fear-based campaign saw the No campaign in the Scottish referendum lose a 20-point lead.

‘I don’t have to point out to anybody here that the In campaign in this referendum doesn’t have a 20-point lead to squander.’

A poll of polls from February 1323 by NatCen Social Research shows 45 per cent of voters support Brexit, while 55 per cent would like to remain in the EU.

Mr Cameron rejected the characterisation of his In campaign as ‘Project Fear’ – then urged voters to back the EU to save the UK. He said: ‘It is quite clear there are politicians in Scotland saying a referendum to leave the EU could put that under question again. So I would say if, like me, you care about keeping our United Kingdom together, that is yet another reason to vote for staying in a reformed EU rather than having uncertainty and instability in the relationships inside the United Kingdom.’

Very few Scottish politicians have spoken in favour of Brexit, with Tory Margaret Mitchell the only MSP, along with the likes of veteran Nationalist Jim Sillars and UKIP MEP David Coburn.

Jack Montgomery, Scottish spokesman for Leave.EU, said: ‘It’s sad the SNP, dedicated to national self-determination, feels unable to raise its voice against Brussels; and telling that Jim Sillars, architect of its Independence in Europe policy, no longer supports EU membership. In the UK or out, Scotland will benefit from the sweeping new powers over agriculture, fisheries and industrial policy which Brexit will bring.’

‘No limit to SNP

hypocrisy’