IAN Blackford has warned of the increased threat to Scotland from the “toxic” Tory leadership contest after hard-line Brexiteers dominated the first round of voting.

The SNP’s Westminster leader said that the contest demonstrated beyond doubt that the Tory party had lurched even further to the extremes by keeping the threat of a no-deal Brexit on the table.

Boris Johnson dominated the first round of voting in the leadership contest, from which Andrea Leadsom, Esther McVey and Mark Harper have now been eliminated.

Leading contenders – Johnson, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt – have all indicated they would be willing to drag Scotland and the UK out of the EU without a deal, risking thousands of jobs, harming the economy and affecting living standards.

READ MORE: Scotland facing 'new era of economic decline' after Brexit

Nicola Sturgeon reacted to the first round of voting, which established Boris Johnson as the clear favourite, by tweeting a link to sign up to become an SNP member or supporter.

Blackford later commented: “With each day that passes in this toxic Tory leadership contest, the threat to Scotland grows.

“The first round of votes has been dominated by extreme Brexiteers who have indicated they would be willing to pursue a catastrophic no-deal Brexit, which would inflict lasting economic and social harm.

“With hard-line Brexiteers storming ahead, the Tories have shamefully lurched even further to the extremes in an attempt to pander to Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party.

“It is yet another sign that any new Tory leader will push Scotland towards the Brexit abyss and leave Scotland facing the prospect of an impending economic disaster.

READ MORE: Three Tory candidates eliminated from leadership race

"The people of Scotland deserve the choice of a better future than the Brexit shambles offered by Westminster and the Tory leadership horror show. Scotland can choose to become an independent European nation – and support for independence is set to rise even further, regardless of who wins this contest.”

Earlier this week, a new poll revealed that the SNP would gain more seats across Scotland under any of the Tory leadership contenders.

The ComRes survey of more than 2000 voters for the Daily Telegraph found that the SNP would make substantial gains in a Westminster election regardless of who the new Conservative prime minister is.