Liz Truss has pledged not to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence if she becomes Conservative Party leader and UK Prime Minister.
In the first independence referendum held in 2014, Scottish voters rejected independence by 55-45 per cent in favor of remaining part of the United Kingdom.
But Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who also heads the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), announced last month that another independence referendum will be held on 19 October 2023.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally rejected Sturgeon’s request to give Scotland the power to hold a second vote.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Truss said he works to strengthen and protect the union.
If she succeeds Johnson as Prime Minister, she said, “There will not be a second Scottish independence referendum under my supervision.”
‘cheating’
Truss accused the SNP of trying to dismantle the union through “deception” and promoting an “illegal” referendum bill through the Scottish Parliament.
“Scottish nationalists have accepted that their referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and I will let them defend it,” she said.
She added:
“The Scottish Independence Referendum Bill is not legal and will be void once passed by the Scottish Parliament. When Westminster delegated power to Scotland, it did not include the ability to hold a valid referendum to dismantle the Commonwealth.” I did.
“A referendum on Scottish independence requires the approval of Westminster Parliament. If I become Prime Minister, I will not give that authority.”
“Mission of cast iron”
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown accused both Tory leadership candidates of “denying the cast-iron mandate of holding an independence referendum”.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is battling Truss for support from Conservatives, called the second Scottish independence referendum “the wrong priority at the worst possible time”.
In a July 26 Scottish Daily Mail column, Snak said: Why aren’t we talking about the drug crisis in Scotland and how to put more money in the pockets of Scottish workers?”
Mr Brown called both Tory candidates “out of touch” with the people of Scotland, which he called “a better future” as a “richer, fairer, more equal independent country”. said he wants to choose
PA Media contributed to this report.
follow