Rishi Sunak says SNP being ‘routed’ at election puts independence on ‘backburner for generation’

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted the SNP being “routed” at the general election will put Scottish independence “on the backburner for a generation”.

The Conservative leader was speaking at the launch of the Scottish Tories manifesto in Edinburgh on Monday, published just nine days before polling day.

The document is a collection of policies already announced by the Prime Minister, as well as a wish-list of devolved ideas that will not be on the ballot until the 2026 Holyrood election, such as having more police officers and improvements to schools and the NHS.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks at the of the launch the Scottish Conservative manifesto at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel in Edinburgh. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

The SNP has insisted the party already has a mandate for another referendum on independence. But First Minister John Swinney has said a majority of Scottish seats won by his party would boost that strategy and ramp up pressure on the UK government to enter talks over separation. Both Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have been adamant that no request on independence will be accepted.

Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Sunak pointed to the SNP’s “independence obsession” that has meant “they’ve neglected everything else”.

He warned voters had a choice over whether “the divisive constitutional wrangling of the last decade continues”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the of the launch the Scottish Conservative manifesto (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Mr Sunak said: “If the SNP win a majority of the seats at this election, they will treat that as a mandate to carry on campaigning for independence for another five years.” He said backing the Conservatives in Scotland was “a vote to put this issue to bed” and “move past these tired, stale arguments and to go forward united and together”.

The PM said: “July 4 is Scotland’s chance to end the decade of division, to put independence on the backburner for a generation, to get back to the issues that really matter to communities up and down this country. That can only happen if the SNP are routed.”

Speaking to journalists, Mr Sunak stressed “the future of our country is at stake” in the general election. But he declined to say what the SNP being “routed” looked like.

The Prime Minister thanked Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross for his leadership. The Scottish party leader is set to step down after the general election following a backlash over his decision to U-turn on a decision not to stand again for Westminster.

Mr Sunak said: “If Douglas and all of you had not held the line in 2021, Nicola Sturgeon would have got her majority and the history of our United Kingdom would have been very different.”

Mr Ross claimed “the SNP have put their political obsession with separating our country on the line”.

He said: “John Swinney has produced a manifesto that has on the entirety of its first page ‘vote SNP for Scotland to be an independent country’. The Nationalists are not even trying to hide it. They are running a single-issue campaign and treating the general election as a proxy independence referendum.

“The SNP are on the backfoot – and they know it. They have nothing positive to offer in this election.”

In response, SNP candidate for Gordon and Buchan Richard Thomson said: “After 14 years of disaster after disaster from Westminster, it’s clear the Tories’ obsession with the SNP is all they have left.

“The Tory manifesto mentioned the SNP 88 times in 76 pages. They are rattled because they know a well deserved democratic drubbing is on its way and, here in Scotland, a vote for the SNP is the best way to get rid of every single Tory MP.

“But people in Scotland who’ve been made to endure the worst of austerity, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis, need more than just an escape from Tory politicians, they need an escape from Tory policy.”

Speaking separately from the campaign trail in Aberdeen, Mr Swinney argued both the Tories and Labour have “turned their back on Scotland’s interest” by refusing to consider re-joining the European Union.

The SNP leader used a campaign speech to hit out at the “truly disastrous outcome” the Brexit referendum has had on Scotland.

He highlighted the impact the ending of the freedom of movement had had on businesses and the economy, with Mr Swinney saying: “You can’t be a party of Brexit and a party of growth.”

Speaking at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Mr Swinney insisted: “As First Minister, I cannot sit back and accept the damage of Brexit that Labour will continue to impose. That will hurt too many people, it will hurt public services and it will hurt businesses.”

Leaving the EU has cost Scotland £2.3 billion in public revenue, Mr Swinney claimed. He said a “conservative estimate” suggested there was now about £1.6bn less to spend on the NHS and other public services as a result. “To put that into context, £1.6 billion is the equivalent of more than one in six of our NHS staff,” he said.

Mr Sunak has meanwhile said he is “not aware” of any other Tory candidates facing investigation by the gambling watchdog over allegations of betting on the general election.

The Prime Minister said the Conservatives had been carrying out their own internal probe running alongside the inquiry and “will act” if it finds any wrongdoing over the scandal that has engulfed the party.

With the Tories still behind in the polls and after a bruising few days dominated by the controversy, Mr Sunak is facing pressure including from the party ranks to take a more robust stance against those involved. The party’s chief data officer Nick Mason is the latest figure understood to be taking a leave of absence amid claims he placed bets on the election date, along with director of campaigning Tony Lee.