May’s battle cry to defend Union
Don’t back Labour or Corbyn will do a deal with SNP to call a new divisive referendum, PM warns
THERESA May has made a passionate plea to Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters who believe in saving the Union to lend her their vote in tomorrow’s General Election.
In an exclusive interview with the Scottish Daily Mail, the Prime Minister urged pro-Union voters to forget their political allegiances and vote for the party that will stand up for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.
She warned that there would be immediate discussions about an independence referendum if Jeremy Corbyn entered Number 10 propped up by the SNP.
Tory strategists are increasingly concerned that key target seats such as East Renfrewshire could be won by the SNP because Labour voters refuse to lend their vote to the Tories, despite them being the clear main challenger to the Nationalists.
Mrs May said: ‘What I would say to people is it is not about who you voted for in the past, it is about who is going to stand up for the Union, and it is about who do you want to see leading the United Kingdom through into the future, into these Brexit negotiations, getting that right for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
‘It is the Conservative Party that is standing up for the Union, that has the plan for Brexit and has a vision to go beyond Brexit and build a stronger, more prosperous, fairer United Kingdom – and that is stronger, more prosperous and fairer for Scotland as well as the rest of the United Kingdom.’
A new YouGov opinion poll published yesterday suggests that the SNP could win 46 seats in Scotland, with the Tories winning seven, Labour three and the Liberal Democrats three.
But the Tories believe that managing to secure the support of more pro-Union voters in around a dozen other seats could put them in with a genuine chance of significantly more gains.
And Mrs May urged Labour voters who care about the Union not to give their backing to Mr Corbyn, who has said he would begin discussions with the Scottish Government about another referendum if he became Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister said: ‘If Jeremy Corbyn were to get into Number 10 – and remember it only takes for my party to lose six seats and my party loses its majority – I think we would see those independence discussions.
‘He has said he thinks it is absolutely fine to have a second independence referendum – so anybody, regardless of who they voted for in the past, who wants to make sure we say now is not the time for an independence referendum should vote Conservative.’
Among the seats the Tories have been ruthlessly targeting is East Renfrewshire, which has been held by the SNP’s Kirsten Oswald since she defeated former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy in 2015.
They believe that they are best placed to challenge the SNP after a strong showing in the area in the local elections last month.
But Labour is also focusing on the seat, with the latest local polling suggesting that the SNP and Tories are neck-and-neck on 35 per cent, while Labour lags behind on 25 per cent.
During campaigning, Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: ‘I am here in East Renfrewshire because it is very important that people understand that only by voting Conservative can you defeat the SNP.
‘Labour are running what I would call a vanity project campaign. The council elections show that Labour has no chance of winning here and that is confirmed on the doorsteps.
‘It is very important that those people who want to send a message in East Renfrewshire know they have to vote Conservative to do that and not let in the SNP through the back door.’
Ian Murray, Labour’s candidate for Edinburgh South, said: ‘The only way to defeat the SNP is to vote Labour.
‘A vote for Labour on Thursday will send Nicola Sturgeon a message to drop her plans for a divisive second independence referendum and get on with the job of fixing the mess she has made of our schools and hospitals.’
‘Not about who you voted for in the past’