THE SNP have hit out at the hypocrisy and inaccuracy of the Scottish Tory leader after yet another independence-related intervention.

Douglas Ross criticised the SNP for what he claimed is their intention to hold an independence referendum during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s despite his own party at Westminster “ploughing ahead” with Brexit.

Nicola Sturgeon also branded Ross a hypocrite after rejecting a challenge from the Scots Tory leader to hold a televised debate. The First Minister said Ross was undermining his own point by asking during the pandemic.

A spokesman for the First Minister said yesterday: “The Scottish Government is absolutely focused on tackling the pandemic, which remains everyone’s top priority, and we paused work on independence last year at the start of the Covid crisis – unlike the Tories who disgracefully ploughed ahead with Brexit in the middle of the pandemic.

“But the question is who the people of Scotland want to be in charge of rebuilding our country and economy – a Scottish Government or a Westminster one led by the likes of Boris Johnson?

“And we are determined to give the people of Scotland that choice in a legal, post-pandemic referendum.”

The Scottish Conservative leader, below, made his comments after the SNP published its 11-point “road map” towards a second vote.

He said: “So we’re speaking now in the next 10 months the SNP, [with] what we’re going through, all these challenges to get on top of this virus and then the economic response which is going to take years of recovery, the SNP want a referendum, a wildcat referendum, in a matter of months’ time before the end of the year.

“I’m clear I don’t want another referendum, I don’t support the uncertainty and division that would cause.

“And if anyone thinks that we should be distracted by a divisive referendum in the next few months or years rather than focusing on our economic recovery, I think they’re absolutely deluded and they have simply the wrong priorities for Scotland.”