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Daily Record
Politics
Peter Davidson

Tory leadership candidates to refuse Scottish independence referendum for next 10 years

Three Tory leadership candidates have refused to grant Nicola Sturgeon the powers to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence.

Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid and Tom Tugendhat all ruled out allowing a vote on Scotland's future to take place on October 19, 2023.

The First Minister announced last month that she wanted to hold a referendum next year, however in order for it to be legal the UK Government must grant a section 30.

READ MORE: Penny Mordaunt launches bid as nine candidates now confirmed in Tory leadership race

Boris Johnson has refused to grant the order therefore Sturgeon has asked judges on the UK Supreme Court if a vote could be legal without permission from Westminster.

Hunt and Javid, who announced their bids earlier today to become the next Prime Minister after Johnson resigned on Thursday, said another vote should not take place for at least 10 years.

Sophie Raworth, host of Sunday Morning, asked both Javid and Hunt: "Are there any circumstances under which you would allow another referendum on Scottish independence?"

Javid replied: "The last one was for a generation so the generation hasn't changed - so no. Not forever but not at least for a decade."

While, Hunt said: "Not in the next 10 years."

Tom Tugendhat has launched his bid to become the next Prime Minister (UK Parliament)

Backbench MP Tom Tugendhat was also probed on a second referendum while on the BBC's Sunday Show, he responded by saying he wouldn't get into "hypotheticals".

He said: "I'm not going to get into hypotheticals in the future, what I'm interested in is delivering now.

"I think what I really need to address is what people care about now. There's more month at the end of the pay packet than there should be.

"We're seeing an economic difficulty that we're all struggling with whether you're in Glasgow or in Canterbury, we're all feeling the fact that it's now £2 a litre for petrol. I don't know about you, but I notice it.

"We're all feeling the fact that gas prices are rising and you're going to feel it more in Scotland than you are and in communities like Kent because it gets cold earlier."

'Scotland will be the loser'

The SNP's depute leader Keith Brown hit back at the Tory leader candidates saying it "does not matter who wins" Scotland will be "the loser".

He added: "The events of the past week, months and years of Westminster chaos have shown exactly why Scotland needs to forge its own path as an independent nation now more than ever.

"It does not matter who wins the contest to become the new Tory leader.

"Ultimately, Scotland will be the loser and the next prime minister will still not have Scotland's best interests at heart.

"Westminster control means continual uncertainty for the people of Scotland as they struggle to put food on the table and heat their homes.

"Only with independence can Scotland finally forge its own path towards further away from the chaos of the broken, corrupt and shambolic Westminster system, and towards a fairer, wealthier and happier country."

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