THE Scottish Tories have responded after it was revealed that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will today publish a paper kicking off a series setting out a prospectus for an independent Scotland.
“Building a New Scotland” will be launched in Edinburgh alongside Scottish Greens co-leader and Scottish Government minister Patrick Harvie.
The first paper will set out how European countries comparable to Scotland thrive using the full powers independence would grant us.
The Scottish Tories have now revealed their response to the announcement – with shadow constitution secretary Donald Cameron saying it is “nothing short of shameful” in the midst of a cost of living crisis.
Cameron said: “Nicola Sturgeon is wilfully ignoring Scotland’s priorities to push ahead with plans for a second divisive independence referendum in 2023.
“The vast majority of Scottish people don’t want the distraction of another referendum next year. They want the government 100% focused on our recovery from the pandemic, the global cost-of-living crisis, supporting our NHS and protecting jobs.
"Yet Nicola Sturgeon is recklessly pressing ahead with her obsession anyway. This is nothing short of shameful when the country is facing so many momentous challenges.
“The distraction and disruption of another bitter referendum debate is the last thing Scotland needs right now.
“Nicola Sturgeon should be fully focused on helping people through this difficult period, not diverting government resources and vast sums of public money towards the SNP's obsession.
"The Scottish people want to see an SNP Government focused on key tasks such as building ferries, not on breaking up the UK."
Cameron’s plea for the SNP to “fully focus” on helping people through the cost of living crisis – worsened by the Tory Brexit – comes a day after his party was told its attention was divided.
SNP Westminster deputy leader Kirsten Oswald MP said: "It's clear that the Tories are more focused on keeping serial law-breaker Boris Johnson in office than getting on with the day job.”
Amid reports of Tory divisions over further measures to tackle the crisis, she continued: "These latest reports only highlight once again that the Tory government is too consumed by chaos and infighting to properly protect and support households being hammered by the Tory-made cost of living crisis.
"With people facing a deep hit to their pockets through rising fuel and food prices and household bills, the UK Government should be stepping up to the challenge and strengthening support urgently and putting money into people's pockets. Instead it is dominated by anonymous briefing and counter-briefing.
"It's clear that people in Scotland are being forced to pay a heavy price for the cost of living with Westminster – with Tory austerity, the regressive NI hike, cuts to Universal Credit, and an extreme Brexit piling on the pressure.
“The only way to properly protect households is to become an independent country."
