LIBDEM leader Willie Rennie has accused the SNP of abandoning principles in their quest for independence, which he says will be a “disaster” leaving Scotland outside of the EU.
In a speech at the David Hume Institute last night, Rennie said Nicola Sturgeon’s party would betray Remain voters for their own purposes, claiming the SNP would “sell their granny” if they thought it would bring them closer to securing independence.
In response, the SNP said Rennie’s opposition to independence would see him sell not just his granny, but also “his principles and any last shred of his credibility” if he allowed the Conservatives to take Scotland out of the EU.
The LibDem Leader also used his speech to recommit his party to “resolute support for the United Kingdom”.
“You haven’t heard any senior nationalist say ‘the only way to keep Scotland in the EU is to have independence’. They used to say that all the time. Now they don’t. They now say that their dissatisfaction with the UK Government ‘transcends the issue of Europe’.
“We, perhaps, should not be surprised as one third of their supporters favoured Brexit.
“I meet them every week on the doorsteps: Brexit supporters who backed independence in 2014 but are opposed now because of the independence in Europe policy.
“Desperate to keep the significant branch of Brexiteers in their own party in line they are prepared to sell out Europe to get their dream of independence. But in doing so they are compromising with an isolationist agenda. The SNP would sell their granny on Amazon if it would win a few more votes for independence.”
An SNP spokesman replied: “Willie Rennie would sell granny, his principles and any last shred of his credibility in allowing the Tories to drag Scotland out of Europe against its will – and there are undoubtedly LibDem voters who are appalled by his stance.
“This is a shameful sell-out of people across Scotland, who voted decisively to stay in Europe.”
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