The National:

TORY MSP Murdo Fraser has inadvertently made a strong case for Scottish independence while listing everything the UK would lose if the country voted Yes.

The MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife was appearing on GB News when he was asked whether the rest of the UK shouldn’t vote to leave Scotland.

Fraser’s response summed up some of the significant resources which an independent Scotland would instantly have at its fingertips.

He said: “If Scotland leaves the UK, we lose roughly a third of the land mass of Great Britain, probably about half of our territorial waters.”

It’s worth noting here that when Fraser says “we” he appears to be talking from the position of a Tory in London, not someone in Scotland.

With that in mind, he went on: “We lose the magnificent resource that is Scottish fishing waters, we lose the opportunities from North Sea oil and gas (still there despite Nicola Sturgeon’s best efforts).”

What’s Sturgeon been up to exactly?

We never find out, as Fraser ploughs on: “We lose the potential for renewable energy from Scotland’s coasts in the North Sea and the Atlantic, we lose access to barrier-free trade for Scotch whisky and Scotch salmon, all these fantastic exports.”

An independent Scotland might find its not insignificant export market has barrier-free trade with significantly more countries as a result of independence in Europe, but of course that goes ignored.

The MSP rounds up by saying that “we” would lose “the opportunity to study at some of the world’s greatest universities and the joy of having Scots as part of the great British nation”.

“Why would you want to throw all that away?”

We’re not sure how leaving the UK would deprive Scots of the chance to go to “some of the world’s greatest universities” either. But a Tory said it on GB News so it must be true.

In a twist of pure irony, Fraser also claimed during his TV appearance that certain SNP politicians seemed “designed to rile up people”.

Coming from a Twitter troll who also happens to represent the Tories at Holyrood, that’s some brass neck.