DOUGLAS Ross has defended the Prime Minister after he mentioned “Scottish nationalists” in a speech about “extremist” threats facing the UK.
Speaking at an event in London earlier this week, Sunak claimed an “axis of authoritarian states” were attempting to undermine British values.
He went on to list a number of threats he believed were facing the UK, including Russia, Iran, North Korea, antisemitism, “gender activists” and finally “Scottish nationalism”.
READ MORE: LBC's James O'Brien tears into Rishi Sunak over Scottish nationalism comments
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Douglas Ross was asked if Sunak (below) consulted him before “he declared almost half of Scots voters extremists”.
The Scottish Tory leader replied: “Well what Rishi Sunak was discussing in his speech on Monday was threats to the United Kingdom and this was a wide-ranging speech on a number of threats.
“And I don’t think anyone would believe that a party that wants to tear up the United Kingdom, end the United Kingdom by removing Scotland from it is anything but a threat to the United Kingdom.”
When it was put to Ross that Sunak had put “Scottish nationalists” alongside the likes of Iran and North Korea, the MSP continued to defend the Prime Minister.
READ MORE: LBC's James O'Brien tears into Rishi Sunak over Scottish nationalism comments
“Well, if you listen to the entire speech by the Prime Minister, he was going through a range of issues and on threats to the United Kingdom, the future of the United Kingdom is under threat from a party that wants to destroy the United Kingdom,” he said.
“The SNP get up every morning to tear Scotland out of the UK. I want Scotland to remain a strong, integral part of the United Kingdom and that’s why I will never support their plans for separation, sadly plans that are still at the forefront of the thinking of the new Scottish Government led by John Swinney.”
We told on Tuesday how an expert debunked Sunak’s branding of the Scottish independence movement as “extremist”.
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