NICOLA SLAPPED DOWN BY RISHI
Leaders in ‘robust’ exchanges Election ISN’T de facto indyref ‘Focus on NHS & cost of living’
RISHI Sunak has slapped down Nicola Sturgeon’s bid to turn the next general election into a de facto independence referendum.
Just hours after a ‘robust’ discussion with the First Minister during a working dinner, he rejected her attempt to turn the election into a single-issue campaign.
Vowing to stand up for the priorities of Scots families, he told Miss Sturgeon elections are always about ‘all sorts of things’. He said that governments across the UK should focus on priorities such as the NHS, the impact of the Ukraine war and the cost of living crisis.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack also said that ‘you can’t have a mandate for something that you have no power over’ following the ruling by the Supreme Court that the SNP cannot press ahead with a referendum without Westminster’s consent.
On his first visit to Scotland as Prime Minister, Mr Sunak also dismissed polling showing his party risks losing seats north of the Border and said he is ‘passionately committed’ to delivering for Scots families.
It is understood his ‘robust’ discussion with Miss Sturgeon about independence took place on Thursday night at the luxurious Kingsmill Hotel in Inverness. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Cromarty Firth yesterday, Mr Sunak dismissed her attempt to declare independence if a majority of voters at the next general election support separatist parties.
He said: ‘I think people vote for all sorts of things in general elections but what I’m focused on doing is delivering on people’s priorities.
‘It’s very clear right now across the United Kingdom, devolved and UK governments are grappling with some of the challenges in the NHS.
‘We’re grappling with the impact of the war in Ukraine, Russia’s aggression, the impact that’s had on energy supplies and, indeed, in inflation more generally in the cost of living, which is really making life difficult for many families. Those are the challenges that we really need to tackle.’
Mr Sunak said yesterday’s announcement of the success of Cromarty Firth and Forth bids for freeport status is ‘a good example of us working constructively with the Scottish Government to try to make a difference’.
Thursday’s dinner was Mr Sunak’s first one-to-one meeting with Miss Sturgeon since he entered Downing Street since initial talks with the devolved leaders at a British-Irish Council summit in Blackpool.
The issue of independence was raised by one of the First Minister’s staff accompanying her. Mr Sunak refused to be drawn on the full details, saying it was a private meeting.
But when asked if the de facto referendum issue was discussed, he said that ‘she talked a little bit about it’.
A recent poll suggested the Tories are at risk of losing Scottish seats at the next general election. The Survation study put the party in third place on 16 per cent, with Labour on 31 per cent and the SNP on 44 per cent.
Asked if he can win back ground for the party, Mr Sunak said: ‘I’m really keen as the Prime Minister for the United Kingdom to make sure everyone in Scotland realises I’m passionately committed to delivering for them. That’s part of my job, it’s a part of my job I take really seriously and that means having a constructive relationship with the Scottish Government because I think people in Scotland want to see that.’
Miss Sturgeon described their talks as ‘perfectly constructive and cordial’. She said: ‘Clearly Rishi Sunak and I disagree on lots but we were able to talk about some of the areas where the Scottish and UK governments can work together.
‘Obviously, we talked a bit about the NHS and the pressures people are living under… We talked about how we can work together to realise the vast renewable energy potential Scotland has.’