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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Aletha Adu

Scotland can't have independence vote because there's a war on, Boris Johnson declares

Boris Johnson has slapped down calls for a Scottish independence referendum telling Scots, "this is not the moment" because of Russia's invasion.

The Prime Minister insisted it is "not the time for yet more delectable disputations about the Constitution when our European continent is being ravaged by the most vicious war since 1945".

His comments come hours after Jacob Rees-Mogg said the "seriousness" of Russia's invasion has enabled the Tories to "get away" from Partygate.

The Tory Scottish Party conference so far has seen the PM desperate to recover his leadership, with Mr Johnson shaking hands with the Scot Tory party leader Douglas Ross, who called for the PM to quit his job only a few weeks ago.

Today the PM praised Mr Ross, detailing that he has got more votes than any previous Scottish leader inclduing Ruth Davidson.

Boris Johnson shakes hands with Scottish Tory Douglas Ross who called for the PM to quit a few weeks ago (AFP via Getty Images)

"And I'll tell you the other reason why," Mr Johnson said, "He's the only political leader in Scotland saying loud and clear what should be blindingly obvious to everyone.

"That this is not the moment to having another referendum. This is not this is not the time.

"This is not the time for yet more delectable disputations about the Constitution when our European continent is being ravaged by the most vicious war since 1945.

"When public services and the economy need to recover from the pandemic, and how incredible that Labour should be so spiritually coloured, they become nothing but the lack of the enablers."

Mr Johnson also told Scottish Tory Conference it is "crazy" to discuss shutting down the UK’s domestic oil and gas production.

Ukrainian aid worker Zhenya Dove made a moving speech at Scottish Tory conference (Getty Images)

“Are we not crazy to be talking about completely shutting down domestic production?

"Only to buy oil and gas at a vast mark-up from Vladimir Putin ’s Russia. And yet that unbelievably is the stated policy of the Scottish National Party and the Labour Party.”

His comments followed a moving speech from the Ukrainian activist Zenya duff who lived in Edinburgh for eight years.

She told the conference Ukrainians are “being punished by our neighbours surly for wanting the freedom to speak your mind and to elect their own politicians.

In a moving speech she said: “The main landmark of my hometown has a Russian flag being flown over it."

"We don't want to live in a country where journalists fall out of windows, by trains that get poisoned with chemical weapons," she added.

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