Nicola Sturgeon tore in the Tory hopeful leadership today as she tried to make a fresh plea for another Scottish independence referendum.
The Prime Minister claimed that whoever won the lengthy race to replace… Boris Johnson would be ‘another prime minister Scotland did not vote for’.
It came as she launched the second in a series of papers designed to advance a “renewed” advocacy for independence.
The SNP The leader is demanding another vote next year, just nine years after Scotland voted to stay in the UK in a once-in-a-generation plebiscite, but Boris Johnson has refused to grant it.
Ms Sturgeon said in Edinburgh this morning: ‘We may only be a few days into this Tory leadership competition, but it is already crystal clear what issues Scotland is focusing on: tackling child poverty, supporting the recovery of the NHS, building a fairer economy and a just transition to net zero – will not be hindered by who ever becomes prime minister in the coming weeks.’
The prime minister claimed that whoever won the protracted race to replace Boris Johnson would be “another prime minister Scotland did not vote for.”
Ms Sturgeon said in Edinburgh this morning: ‘We may only be a few days into this Tory leadership competition, but it is already crystal clear that the issues Scotland is focusing on… will be hindered by who ever becomes Prime Minister in the coming months. to soften.’
Voters in Scotland have “repeatedly” turned back a majority of MSPs who support independence, Ms Sturgeon added, saying this was “treated as intangible” by Westminster.
Voters in Scotland have “repeatedly” turned back a majority of MSPs who support independence, Ms Sturgeon added, saying this was “treated as intangible” by Westminster.
“You don’t have to be a supporter of independence to know that’s not democracy,” she added.
The new article published by the Scottish government as part of the Building a Better Scotland series focuses on democracy, Sturgeon said.
She told journalists from Bute House, her official residence in the Scottish capital, that it “exposes the significant and growing democratic deficit Scotland is suffering as part of the union”.
The Prime Minister insisted: ‘Only independence can strengthen and anchor democracy in Scotland, providing a secure foundation from which to overcome challenges and realize our potential.’
However, she added: ‘The change of Tory leader almost certainly seems to be accompanied by a shift to the right.
“That means a shift even further away from mainstream Scottish opinion and values.”
She put forward the prospect that the contest to replace Mr Johnson as prime minister could result in a “race to the bottom on tax matters, cuts to public services and support for families, more prejudice about Brexit that hurts businesses and trade,” as well as the ‘abolition of the fight against climate change’.
But Jackie Baillie, deputy leader of the Scottish Labor Party, said: ‘So far the SNP’s advocacy for independence has been a cocktail of wishful thinking and fear mongering.
“Bills are skyrocketing, NHS waiting lists are mounting and trains are barely running – but Scotland has two governments ignoring these problems to sow divisions, play political games and make impossible promises.”
Last week, Ms Sturgeon revealed that Boris Johnson had rejected her demand for a new vote.
She released a letter from the prime minister in which he refused to agree that “the time is now.”
The Prime Minister of Scotland took Twitter to share her correspondence with the embattled prime minister, who wrote her that now was not the time to consider another poll on Scottish independence.
In his letter to Nicola Sturgeon, shared by the Scottish Prime Minister on Twitter, Johnson said it was not the time to consider another independence referendum.
The prime minister has faced further calls to quit and a barrage of criticism as he desperately tries to hold on, despite a string of ministers resigning and even loyalists turning against him.
Mr Johnson urged unity and emphasized the ‘shared priorities’ of both governments in addressing the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine and Covid-19.
He wrote: ‘I have thought carefully about the arguments you have put forward for a transfer of power from the British Parliament to the Scottish Parliament to hold another referendum on independence.
“As our country faces unprecedented challenges at home and abroad, I cannot agree that now is the time to return to a question that was clearly answered by the people of Scotland in 2014.
“Our shared priorities must be to respond effectively to the global cost of living challenge, to support our NHS and public services as they recover from the massive disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to play our leading role in the international response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“These are common challenges in the UK that deserve our full attention.”