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Politics
Peter Davidson

Boris Johnson takes swipe at Nicola Sturgeon and indyref2 during final speech as Prime Minister

Boris Johnson used his final speech as Prime Minister to take a swipe at Nicola Sturgeon and her plans for an independence referendum.

The outgoing Prime Minister spoke to the nation in the steps of Downing Street for the final time after he resigned following a number of scandals.

During the speech he highlighting his government's record on Brexit, supporting Ukraine and the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. He also took aim at independence supporters by saying they will "never succeed" in trying to break up the United Kingdom.

The SNP leader wants to hold a second independence referendum in October next year however the UK Government has refused to grant permission for one to take place.

The SNP/Green government has asked the Supreme Court to rule if it can bypass Westminster to hold a legal vote.

Speaking earlier, Johnson said: "We are one whole entire United Kingdom whose diplomats, security services and armed forces are so globally admired.

"As I leave, I believe our union is so strong that those who want to break it up, they'll keep trying, but they will never, ever succeed."

Johnson also used his speech to hit out at his fellow Tory MPs who ousted him from Downing Street following months and months of scandal.

Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a speech outside 10 Downing Street (PA)

He said: "This is it folks. Thank you everybody for coming out so early this morning. In only a couple of hours I will be in Balmoral to see Her Majesty the Queen and the torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader.

"The baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race. They changed the rules halfway through, but never mind that now."

Time for a general election

Reacting to the speech SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has said that a general election should take place.

Asked whether he would like to see a general election "sooner rather than later", he told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Very much so and for the very simple reason that what Liz Truss now seems to be proposing was not in the Tory manifesto in the 2019 election.

"First and foremost, let's put the support in place that families, that businesses, need.

"Let's get that done and the right thing to do is then to put this to the people, to have that general election and let the people in Scotland express their opinion, and I think crucially their opinion as to whether or not Scotland should be an independent country."

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