TORY leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt has said he is the prime minister Nicola Sturgeon “least wants” because of his commitment to keeping Scotland in the UK.
The Foreign Secretary visited Peterhead in Aberdeenshire yesterday, where he spoke to fishing industry leaders at the port and outlined his priorities if he is elected the UK’s new leader. He said: “I’m the prime minister Nicola Sturgeon least wants, and for a very simple reason – I believe in the Union with every fibre of my being and I will never allow the Union to be broken up as prime minister.
“Unlike Nicola Sturgeon, I’m on the side of the Scottish people who say they don’t want another divisive referendum, they want their SNP government to focus on health and education and things that matter to ordinary Scottish families, not things that divide them. An independence referendum is not what the people of Scotland want and I listen to the people of Scotland.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon 'confident' of indy win as survey shows support rise
Hunt added: “Talking to the skipper of the ship I’ve just been round – he wants to get on and grow his business and not be sucked back into all that bitter division. I think it’s time that Nicola Sturgeon did what the people of Scotland want, which is to focus on health and education and all the things she was elected to deliver.”
Responding to Hunt’s comments, the First Minister tweeted: “A Tory PM that Scotland didn’t vote for is always my least favoured option, no matter who they are.”
Hunt’s visit came just days after a YouGov poll suggested 63% of UK Conservative party members wanted Brexit even if it meant Scotland gaining independence.
Asked about the survey, Hunt replied: “I don’t actually believe that polling. Conservative Party members I know are absolutely passionate about our precious Union. What they are is incredibly frustrated that we have haven’t delivered Brexit, and I think that polling reflects the fact that people are just angry it’s taken so long.”
Asked if he would choose Brexit or the Union, he said: “The Union every time.”
READ MORE: The Union is looking more precarious with every week that passes
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong and Jimmy Buchan, of the Scottish Seafood Association, which represents fish processors, met Hunt for around 20 minutes yesterday.
Speaking on the fishing industry’s prospects outside the EU and CFP, Hunt said: “We will be able to negotiate quotas on an annual basis and we’ll get a better deal than under the CFP, because under the CFP we only get to keep 40% of our catch, whereas independent states like Norway get 85%, Iceland gets 95%. We can get a better deal for the UK – that’s what’s going to be different.”
He added: “The most important thing for people in Peterhead is to get a deal that means we leave the EU as quickly as possible. Send the wrong person to Brussels, there will be no negotiations, no deal and if we end up tripping into a General Election, no Brexit. And that would be a disaster for the fishing industry, because leaving the EU is the biggest opportunity for the fishing industry in 40 years.”
Buchan said: “He obviously wants to get a deal in place and he’s come here with an open mind and is engaging with us.
“I think it’s brilliant that we’ve got a potential prime minister who’s coming right into the heartland to see things first hand. If Mr Johnson wants to come up here he will be treated equally as well. Because this is really important – it’s about getting the right person in that can break this deadlock in Parliament which is paralysing the country.”
Armstrong said: “We have the same message for the two PM candidates, and that is to make us an independent coastal state.
“Mr Hunt has given us assurances that that will happen. So far the indications are he understands and gets both the opportunities and the challenges.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel