PROJECT Fear 2 started in earnest yesterday, with Alex Salmond accusing No 10 of lying about the real reason for a second referendum on Scottish independence.
The former First Minister furiously denied a claim that he pushed Nicola Sturgeon into seeking the vote.
Sky News tweeted: “First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was pushed into seeking a second Scottish independence referendum by Alex Salmond and others”
The channel said sources close to the First Minister had told them a second independence vote was something Sturgeon “doesn’t want and does not believe she can win”.
A furious Salmond said this was clearly Tory dirty tricks.
“Complete. Utter. Piffle,” he tweeted. “UK Gov caught flat footed. Obvious Downing Street briefing, Sky News silly enough to repeat it.”
Speaking earlier, he told LBC it was Theresa May who had pushed the First Minister into seeking a second referendum.
“Nicola Sturgeon, who is the First Minister of Scotland, was elected on a manifesto commitment which said if Scotland were dragged out of the European Union against the will of the people then the Scottish parliament should hold an independence referendum.
"That’s what it said last year and that’s the manifesto on which she received 47 per cent of the vote. In contrast David Cameron held the European referendum on 37 per cent of the vote and Theresa May has been elected on zero per cent of the vote since she’s never stood for election either in a general election or among her own MPs.
"So if a leader is elected in an overwhelming mandate from the Scottish people last year to do, under these circumstances, exactly what she’s doing today then no one should gainsay either her right to do it or indeed her obligation to do it, given the circumstances.
“As I said, Nicola Sturgeon put forward a compromise proposal to say ‘look, here’s a way forward to reconcile our differences’. Westminster were not interested, they thought she was bluffing, they have been proved today absolutely wrong.”
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