THE LibDems have been dismissed an irrelevance after one of their MPs accused the SNP of spouting “nonsense” about Scotland rejoining the EU after independence.

Christine Jardine accused the SNP of using the same arguments as Brexiteers said she was “fed up” with the party talking up its record on education.

The Edinburgh West MP also predicted a LibDem surge at next year’s Holyrood election – despite her party falling behind the SNP in UK-wide polling.

She told the Scotland on Sunday: “The SNP are using the UK’s position to get what they actually want, which is their whole raison d'être. They are trying to persuade people that European Union membership and independence go together, which for me is a nonsense.

“They are using the same argument to break up the UK that Brexiteers used to break up with Europe. Why is one union better than another?

“They are promising the people of Scotland something they cannot deliver because at the moment when they are promising returning to the EU it’s just not on the table. They can’t deliver it, and if they could it would take a long time.”

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Jardine argued that now is not the time for independence because the UK is reacting the economic shocks of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic “We have more immediate issues right now and independence will not put food on the table, it will not pay for uniforms or help people eat,” she said.

Despite falling behind the SNP in UK-wide polling, Jardine was bullish in her predictions for next year’s Holyrood election.

She “I think we will have a good night, I think we are going to increase our number of seats.

“I think what will be important in this election is looking at the fact that SNP will have by then had 14 years in Government, so a child that started school in August 2007 will have gone through the school system entirely under the SNP.

“Nicola said judge me on education, and I think an entire generation will judge her, and they will feel badly let down, as will their parents.

“I also get fed up about the SNP banging on about the NHS being better than England. Who cares if it’s better than England? It’s still not good enough and targets are not being met.”

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Despite dismal results in recent UK-wide polling, Jardine was bullish about her party’s prospects in May’s Scottish Parliament ballot.

, she said: “I think we will have a good night, I think we are going to increase our number of seats.

“I think what will be important in this election is looking at the fact that SNP will have by then had 14 years in Government, so a child that started school in August 2007 will have gone through the school system entirely under the SNP.

“Nicola said judge me on education, and I think an entire generation will judge her, and they will feel badly let down, as will their parents.

“I also get fed up about the SNP banging on about the NHS being better than England. Who cares if it’s better than England? It’s still not good enough and targets are not being met.”

The LibDem’s assertions were dismissed by the SNP.

MSP George Adam told The National: "The LibDems are in such disarray even their name is a contradiction.

"Regardless of whatever resounding mandate might be delivered at democratic elections, their stated policy is to deny the people of Scotland the right to determine our own future. That is neither liberal nor democratic.

"Until they reverse that absurd and flawed policy the people of Scotland will rightly dismiss whatever they say as irrelevant."