MICHAEL Gove has held a series of private talks with Unionist politicians from across the political spectrum in efforts to save the Union, it has emerged.
The Times reports that the Cabinet Office minister has met with former first minister Jack McConnell, ex-chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander and George Galloway, currently leading the anti-independence Alliance for Unity group which will field candidates in next year’s Holyrood election.
The news comes as yet another poll put support for Scottish independence in the lead, with the latest Panelbase survey showing backing for Yes at 55% this week. That result was published just a week on from a YouGov poll putting the figure at 53%, while earlier in the summer the number appeared to be around 54%.
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Support for Scottish independence has been growing in the polls since the 2019 General Election, when the SNP won 48 seats in Scotland and Boris Johnson achieved a huge majority south of the Border.
The newspaper reported that Gove discussed plans to create a UK internal market with McConnell – these proposals have been described as the “biggest power grab yet” on the Scottish Parliament by the Constitutional Relations Secretary.
In Holyrood, all parties besides the Scottish Tories have criticised the policy.
Meanwhile, it was reported that former Labour MP Galloway discussed strategy with Gove.
Galloway last stood for election in December, when he ran in the West Bromwich East parliamentary seat. He came sixth out of all the candidates with 489 votes.
Sources said there was no “detailed co-ordination” between Galloway and Gove, but it was understood the pair know each other well.
During the 2014 independence referendum campaign Galloway fought for the No side but criticised the official Better Together efforts.
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He said in an interview with Prospect Magazine: “If you ever see me standing under a Union Jack shoulder to shoulder with a Conservative, please shoot me.”
Just yesterday Gove sparked a row when he replied to Galloway’s tweet demanding voting rights in a second independence referendum be extended to Scots living across the rest of the UK. The Tory minister said it was an “interesting question”.
In 2014, and included in the terms of the Referendums (Scotland) Act 2020, voters simply had to be registered to vote in Scotland and be over the age of 16.
It is thought senior UK Government figure believe the SNP was given “too easy a ride” over those terms.
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