The UK Conservative Party’s leadership candidate Liz Truss has dismissed Scottish independence. Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence surprised many people in Scotland. British premiership hopefuls seek to thwart the Scottish government’s ambition for independence to win the Scottish Conservative votes.
Next PM Faces the Independence Challenge
The UK Conservative leadership contenders headed north of the border to target the Scottish Conservative members’ votes. Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak said they would not issue a second referendum on Scottish independence. The next UK Prime Minister will face the challenge of the cost-of-living crisis and keeping the country together.
The Scottish government is determined to separate Scotland from Britain and has announced plans for a second referendum in 2023. Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish First Minister and the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader, has pushed for independence. Sturgeon’s preferred day is nine years after the first Scottish independence referendum in 2014. Back then, Scots rejected independence by 55 percent to 45 percent but the Brexit vote in 2016 revitalized independence debates.
Tories Are Hopeful of Scottish Votes
Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak travelled to Scotland, aiming to win the votes of the Conservative members. They compete to succeed Boris Johnson, the former UK Prime Minister and the leader of the Conservative Party. Johnson had to step down on 7 July, then eight conservative members announced their will for the Conservative leadership.
At the first stage of the leadership contest, the Conservative MPs voted to choose two contenders. Several rounds of voting eliminated six contestants until the final two ones remained. At the second election stage, Conservative Party members will choose between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. The new prime minister will be announced on 5 September and take office on 6 September 2022. Liz Truss is the MP for South West Norfolk and the foreign secretary. Rishi Sunak is the MP for Richmond in Yorkshire and the former Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Truss does not let a Divided Union Family.
The leadership frontrunner Liz Truss has recently expressed her opposition to the Scottish independence referendum. Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence supported the Union and opposed a second referendum. However, the Scottish government has been pushing for another referendum to be independent of the United Kingdom.
The Supreme Court will decide on the legality of whether a second independence referendum could take place in Scotland. Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence were an apparent disagreement with another referendum in Scotland. Truss has mentioned that the Scottish National Party had agreed with Westminster that the 2014 referendum was once in a generation referendum. Liz Truss has made it clear that she would not allow another independence referendum as the prime minister. She has emphasized that the Union is one family and will never let the family be split up.
Sunak Strongly Opposed Scottish Independence
Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence conveyed the same message as her rival’s words did. Rishi Sunak has also clearly stated his opposition to a referendum on Scottish independence. Sunak has proposed to reform the Westminster advisers in a team known as the Union unite. He believes the next prime minister’s coalition unite should ensure every single government department operates UK-wide.
Sunak has asked the Scottish government to publish data on the delivery of services to compare to the UK-wide services. He also called for Scotland’s civil servants to testify yearly before a Westminster committee. Sunak sought to win the Scottish votes and repeated Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence. He has emphasized that he would not imagine a circumstance in which he would issue a second referendum.
Tories Present Themselves as Caring for Scotland
Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence humiliated Nicola Sturgeon after branding her as an attention seeker. Truss said Sturgeon and her SNP government should focus on helping hard-working families. She has suggested improving services and creating more jobs in Scotland to help families handle the cost-of-living crisis. Truss has claimed that Nicola Sturgeon has let Scots down and played political games by pushing for a second referendum. Truss said Scotland is better inside the UK because she was seeking Scottish support for her leadership. Truss insulted the Scottish First Minister and said the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is to ignore her. Truss’s rival has also said Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP pose an existential threat to the country’s cherished Union. However, he mentioned that ignoring the SNP would be dangerously complacent.
Premiership Candidates Won’t Change Independence Hopes
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, who struggle to gain support north of the border, are hugely unpopular in Scotland. According to a poll, 59 percent of respondents had an unfavourable view of Sunak. And 60 percent of participants had an adverse idea of Truss. Among Scots who voted Conservative in the Holyrood election, 55 percent preferred Sunak, while 45 per cent preferred Truss. Another survey shows that whether Sunak or Truss would be the next prime minister, they will boost support for Scottish independence. The survey found that most respondents would not change their minds if candidates won.
Moreover, none is likely to boost support for the Conservative Party in Scotland. The SNP argues that Britain’s departure from the EU was against the will of most Scots. Therefore, the Scottish government has the right to hold a second independence referendum.
Conclusion
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are vying to replace Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister. They have set out their policies and presented themselves as a fresh start for the Union. But Brexit has already strained the bonds holding the four nations that make up the UK. Scottish nationalists want independence, and the SNP has set a date for a referendum. But the former chancellor and foreign secretary ruled out an independence referendum.
Moreover, Liz Truss’s words about Scottish independence harshly attacked the idea. Sunak and Truss opposed holding a second independence referendum to attract unionists and win their votes. It seems that Scots do not care much about who the next Conservative prime minister would be. The Conservative candidates should pick a new policy and respect the Scottish people who back the SNP.
