Tomorrow the future of Scotland could be “in the hands of the Scottish people” or in the hands “of Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party,” Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday.
The SNP leader’s warning came during a heated session of First Minister’s Questions, brought forward a day to avoid clashing with the election.
Interim Tory leader Jackson Carlaw (right inset) used his slot to accuse Sturgeon of having “never respected the result” of the 2014 independence referendum.
“Why do you have a habit of only listening to those people who agree with you? Why do the voices of over two million Scots who voted No in 2014 not count with you?” he asked.
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Sturgeon replied: “Let me talk about this settled will of the Scottish people – the 62% who voted to remain in the European Union.
“It used to be what Jackson Carlaw believed in and argued for as well, until he got his instructions from Boris Johnson and now he’s a born-again Brexiteer.
“The difference between me and Jackson Carlaw is this: He thinks it’s okay for Boris Johnson to dictate Scotland’s future to the people of Scotland. I think it’s for the people of Scotland to choose our future.
“And the fact the Tories don’t want the people of Scotland to have that choice shows they are running scared of the verdict of the Scottish people.
“I stand for choice, and on Friday morning we can be waking up to a future where this country is in the hands of the Scottish people, not in the hands of Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party.”
Scotland is a key battleground in today’s election, with 15 of the country’s 59 constituencies defending majorities of less than 1000.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined his Scottish chief Richard Leonard in one of those marginal seats as he kicked off his whistle-stop eve-of-poll tour of the UK.
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Standing in Glasgow South West, Corbyn said: “The only way of getting rid of a Tory government is by voting Labour all across Scotland.” Sturgeon disagreed, tweeting: “There’s not a single Tory/Labour marginal in Scotland,” she posted on Twitter. “Only the SNP can beat the Tories in Scotland. Voting Labour will help the Tories.” In his speech, the Labour leader never mentioned the SNP, but told the crowd that voters had a choice tomorrow: “They can elect a government that they can trust. They can elect a government that will eliminate child poverty across Britain.”
He added: “Our party has suffered the most unbelievable levels of abuse from some of the media and the right in British politics, but I tell you this, our strengths, our ideas, our principles and our determination are stronger than ever as a result.”
Meanwhile, Carlaw roped in his predecessor, Ruth Davidson, for the last day on the trail. Speaking to the media after a rally in Edinburgh she was asked why her party’s leaflets focused more on Sturgeon and independence than Johnson and Brexit, and if she thought the First Minister was “toxic”.
Davidson replied: “People always say that politicians are Marmite, so we’ll use that analogy.
“In terms of the people that don’t like her, it has got harder. It’s gone from ‘that woman’ to ‘that bloody woman’ to ‘that effing woman’, and that’s where we’re at now.
“I think there are a lot of people that are projecting their antagonism and their resistance to a policy onto a person. But I think that happens quite a lot in politics.”
Asked if the Scottish Tories were fuelling that personal antagonism with their “tell her again” slogan, and whether there was a whiff of sexism to it, Davidson said: “There’s a genuine sense that ... she personally is ignoring what they had said repeatedly. You try to keep it as short and snappy as you can.”
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Davidson was also asked what qualities she admired in Johnson. The former Tory leader, who stood down earlier this year, has never been an enthusiast for the Prime Minister. She paused, before responding: “I wasn’t sure, as lots of the country weren’t sure, that he would be able [to get a deal out of the European Union]. But by force of personality he has come back with a deal and that is something I respect.”
Scottish LibDem leader, Willie Rennie, used his eve-of-poll campaign stop to say: “Brexit is bad for jobs, the economy and security. If the Conservatives win we will be stuck in years of trade negotiations while important local issues fall by the way side.”
According to the final YouGov poll of the campaign the SNP are on track to win 41 seats in Scotland today, the Tories nine and Labour five, with the LibDems just behind on four.
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