SNP slammed over independence plans by Murdo Fraser

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First Minister Ms Sturgeon has vowed to press ahead with a Scottish independence referendum if the SNP can secure a majority when Scots head to the polls tomorrow. This comes despite Boris Johnson repeatedly rejecting all demands for the relevant powers to be transferred to Holyrood to to enable another referendum to take place. During the last election in 2016, the Scottish Conservatives, led at the time by Ruth Davidson, denied the SNP a majority when they doubled their MSPs in Holyrood from 15 to 31.

Current Scottish Tory leader is confident of once again denying the SNP following “14 years of failure”, insisting Scotland’s best days “lie here in a strong UK”.

He even went as far to say Scotland’s future depends on the outcome of this election, urging voters to get behind his party and end the independence debate once and for all.

Mr Ross told Express.co.uk: “The SNP will always put the Nationalist interest ahead of the national interest in Scotland.

“They are obsessed with their party political priority and not the priorities of the people of Scotland.

“If the SNP wins a majority, it will be a Government that seeks division, wants to create fights with the UK Government rather than seeking to work with them, and we can do so much better than that.

“There is an opportunity at this election, after 14 years of failure from the SNP, to seek a better alternative.

“Scotland’s best days lie here in a strong UK. We have seen that during this awful pandemic and will come through it far stronger as part of a family of four nations of the UK than we ever could as an independent country.

He added: “This election is about the future of our country. It’s that serious and that’s what is at stake.

“If people unite on the peach ballot paper behind the Scottish Conservatives, we can ensure the division the SNP are seeking can be stopped and we look positively to the future.”

During the fourth and final Scottish election debate on Tuesday evening, Mr Ross and Ms Sturgeon were involved in a furious clash after the Scottish Tory leader accused the SNP leader of wanting an “illegal, wildcat referendum”.

Host Glenn Campbell asked Mr Ross: “The Scottish Conservatives tweeted yesterday that an SNP majority is a guarantee of an independence referendum. In what way is it a guarantee?”

The Scottish Tory leader replied: “If she gets a majority, she will take her eye off the ball for Scotland’s recovery, for rebuilding this country and seek to hold another independence referendum.

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“She will seek a Section 30 order, which the Prime Minister has said is absolutely the wrong thing to do right now to seek to divide the country again.

“He would then say the priority has to be our recovery, and then Nicola Sturgeon would say we will go ahead with an illegal, wildcat referendum anyway.

This sparked a furious reaction from Ms Sturgeon, who denied this would happen and accused him of starting to issue smears and just tell untruths about my position and what I’ve said”.

She raged: “No we won’t. I’ve always said that, Douglas.”

The First Minister added: “I know Douglas that your campaign has perhaps not been the most successful campaign, but don’t start to issue smears and just tell untruths about my position and what I’ve said.

“I’ve said consistently all along, sometimes to criticism from people in my own side of the argument.

“I would not countenance an illegal referendum – not least because it would not deliver independence and I want Scotland in the fullness of time and due course to become an independent country.”

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