SCOTTISH Tory leader Douglas Ross has claimed the SNP will “lie through their back teeth” to win votes in a furious attack on the party ahead of polling day.
Speaking to the Scottish Daily Express, Ross said he was too focused on the campaign to deal with a brewing civil war in his party, with one MSP previously describing the campaign as “shambolic” and the “worst in history”.
Ross threw the campaign into turmoil when he U-turned on his pledge not to stand as an MP and blocked former Scotland Office minister David Duguid from standing.
READ MORE: John Swinney: Anas Sarwar 'prefers Scotland electing Tories to SNP'
He said: “John Swinney is going back to 2021 Scottish Parliament election. I was in the debate with Nicola Sturgeon (below) when she was telling people, even if they don’t support independence, vote for the SNP, for how they handled the Covid pandemic etc.
“They will lie through their back teeth to get support, and we’re seeing that, again, they will stop at nothing to get the support of local people across the country.
“And as soon as the election is over, they will use every vote cast for them as an argument for independence.
“We need to stop that and the best way to stop that in key seats is uniting behind the Scottish Conservatives to beat the SNP.”
Ross’s comments come as John Swinney warned the election is on a “knife edge” and that voting for Labour would mean “more of the same” for people in Scotland.
READ MORE: The Scottish independence party who'll refuse to send MPs to Westminster
The latest polling from Savanta put the SNP ahead of Labour while the Scottish Conservatives were predicted to return six MPs.
Ross added: “The SNP has not been honest with the voters in the past saying they could vote for the SNP and that won’t be taken as an endorsement of independence when we know that’s exactly what happens every single election so people should understand what nationalist MPs will do.
“They will spend their time at Westminster creating grievance and seeking to divide Scotland all over again.
“And I think what we should be doing is electing Scottish Conservative MPs that will actually be focused in their local area and deliver change in local communities.”
Ross also insisted that although his dramatic U-turn was brought up on the doorsteps, he said voters were more concerned about “local healthcare facilities”.
Asked about reports MSPs are rebelling against him, Ross said he was “just focusing on maximising our vote and returning as many Scottish Conservative MPs on July 4”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel