Ruth urges SNP: Ditch Indyref 2 to fix failing schools

NICOLA Sturgeon must ditch plans to break up the Union and instead turn her attention to Scotland’s failing education system, Ruth Davidson will say today.

The Scottish Conservative leader believes another divisive bid for independence would ‘distract’ the First Minister from her pledge to close the attainment gap in schools.

Miss Davidson will use a speech at the London School of Economics to tell Miss Sturgeon that ‘Scotland’s children won’t get a second chance’ and will accuse SNP ministers of being ‘asleep at the wheel’ on education for the last ten years.

Last year Miss Sturgeon stated that her Government’s first priority was education. But, since then she and her ministers have spent just eight hours debating education – while 36 hours have gone to Brexit.

This is despite a number of worrying reports which have revealed plummeting numbers of teachers, a drop in international ratings, a growing attainment gap and a lack of communication with Scotland’s education system.

Last week Miss Sturgeon told MSPs she remained ‘absolutely focused’ on driving improvement in schools.

But tonight Miss Davidson will attack the SNP for failing Scottish children in its quest to gain independence, urging Miss Sturgeon to set her dream aside for the good of pupils.

She will say: ‘If the First Minister now says she wants an “absolute focus” on education, why is she considering another referendum campaign which will inevitably distract her from that goal?

‘Simply put, I do not think the majority of people in Scotland will tolerate the SNP setting all things aside over the coming two years to re-fight a campaign on independence.’ Her comments come as former first minister Alex Salmond yesterday claimed that another referendum could be just 18 months away if the UK Government rejects Miss Sturgeon’s Brexit plan. This, he said, would be proof ‘that they’re not interested in the voice of Scotland’.

Mr Salmond told the BBC’s Sunday Politics that the ‘key battleground’ for breaking up the UK would be trade links with the EU, rather than currency.

He said: ‘I think independence has a winning argument on that framework and I expect to see it expertly deployed by Nicola Sturgeon.’

But Scottish Labour business manager James Kelly hit back: ‘It’s a case of Alex in wonderland if the SNP think they can try and convince Scots that the pound in their pocket doesn’t matter.’

Leader Kezia Dugdale is also in London today, where she will rule out supporting another referendum, while calling for a UK-wide adoption of federalism.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: ‘The SNP is paralysed by the independence issue. They are so focused on breaking up Britain that they have completely failed to deal with the challenges in our economy, education and health service. A vote in Autumn 2018 will only lead to a further 18 months of paralysis.’