Sturgeon must not be allowed to wreck UK

IN a crowded field, Nicola Sturgeon’s latest hyperbolic rhetoric stands out as among her most egregious.

Reflecting on the election result, she said Scotland ‘cannot be imprisoned in the Union against its will’ by the UK Government. Condemning its ‘dictatorial’ stance, she said: ‘You cannot just lock us in a cupboard and turn the key and hope that everything goes away.’

If it is imprisonment, of course, it is voluntary, and the result of a referendum only five years ago, in which a majority of voters rejected independence. But it is a partnership that yields enormous economic benefits for Scotland – light years away from Miss Sturgeon’s ridiculous characterisation of incarceration.

There is a reason for the ramping-up of the divisive politics of separatism: Miss Sturgeon fears her triumph last Thursday may turn into something of a Pyrrhic victory.

True, she defied the odds to increase her contingent of Nationalist MPs, and is now claiming the mandate for an independent Scotland has been strengthened. This is despite the SNP offering assurances that a vote for the party would not be construed as backing for breaking up the UK.

But the First Minister knows beyond doubt that her demands for another referendum will be turned down – indeed, one of Boris Johnson’s first acts after his extraordinary win was to tell Miss Sturgeon her request would be rejected.

Michael Gove has reinforced this unequivocal message, and made clear that the UK Government is now determined to shore up the Union against the Nationalist threat. This will be one of the greatest challenges of Mr Johnson’s premiership: Brexit will dominate its early days, inevitably, but longer term the PM must strengthen the historic bonds that Miss Sturgeon seeks to destroy.

Further afield, great swathes of Middle Britain have been sorely neglected in recent decades, and feel left behind by our London-obsessed political class. Mr Johnson’s rhetoric has been impressive, especially his solemn pledge to ‘unite and level up’ the left-behind regions. But, to borrow Jeremy Corbyn’s phrase, people in these areas want real change – in public services, infrastructure, investment and the high street.

If they don’t get it, Mr Johnson will pay a heavy price at the next election. But the Mail doesn’t doubt his commitment. He has a sharp team behind him, plenty of ministerial talent to draw on and the biggest Tory majority since the Thatcher years.

Boris says he wants to create a ‘People’s Government’. He has the greatest chance for a generation to turn his inspirational pledge of renewal into reality – and ensure the survival of our precious Union.