RISHI Sunak has been told he “can’t be trusted” to manage Scotland’s economy after the Chancellor claimed independence could wreck Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic.

Appealing to Scottish voters ahead of this week’s Holyrood election, the Tory minister warned indyref2 would "needlessly divide" the country at the "worst possible time".

He insisted it was "vital" for the UK to "stick together" and argued Scotland is a "stronger nation" because it’s part of the UK.

However, the SNP argue the Chancellor himself is the biggest threat to the nation’s financial recovery.

They pointed to Sunak’s support for austerity, following comments last year that cuts were “absolutely the right thing to do” in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis.

The SNP also highlighted the Tory minister’s reluctance to extend the furlough scheme late last year, eventually doing so across the UK only when the measures were required in England.

Depute leader Keith Brown said: “We cannot trust the Tories to do the right thing for the Scottish economy, Rishi Sunak has already set out his post-Covid budget which will see a return to crippling Tory austerity.

“Scotland suffered 10 years of Tory cuts, which plunged thousands into poverty and forced families to use food banks just to ensure they could put food on the table, we cannot afford to return to another decade of austerity.

“And no-one will forget the insulting attitude the Chancellor took when it came to the needs of Scotland’s workforce, refusing for weeks to extend furlough when we needed it, only to do it immediately when it was required in England. In that one action he showed that the Tories will always put the needs of Scotland last.

“As we look towards our recovery, returning to austerity does not have to be the only way. We cannot trust the Tories to keep Scotland safe and make the decisions that best suit the people of Scotland.”

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In an intervention ahead of Thursday's vote, Sunak argued that indyref2 should be off the table as he backed Boris Johnson’s hardline stance on the constitution.

He wrote: "The last 12 months has shown that in the darkest of moments, all four nations of the United Kingdom benefit from each other and our partnership. The undeniable truth is that Scotland is a stronger nation because it is part of a United Kingdom.

"It is vital, for the whole United Kingdom, that we continue to stick together, finish the job of getting through this health crisis, move onto the task of rebuilding our economy and build a better country for future generations."

Sunak claimed there was "one clear risk to this shared goal", adding that this was "the uncertainty of a second independence referendum".

He added: "It would needlessly divide our country and at the worst possible time. Instead, we should be focused on the job prospects of young people in Scotland, they have borne the economic brunt and need the most support.

"We should be focused on the quality of healthcare and education in Scotland, because you can't have a strong economy without a healthy and high-skilled population. And we need to focus on making our streets safer, protecting people and communities from crime."

The SNP have previously been accused of endorsing austerity as part of the party’s Growth Commission Report, which sets out an economic policy for the creation of an independent Scotland.

Last week, a chief at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) claimed the new state would have to implement a more stringent form of “austerity” than the vision outlined in the SNP’s Growth Commission because of the pandemic.

In response, Nicola Sturgeon said no further work has been done about the financial impact of independence because referendum planning was put on hold last year due to the pandemic and also because relevant modelling needed to be up to date.

She commented: “I don’t accept the use of the word austerity in relation to the Growth Commission, I never have and I don’t now. The last year means the figures in the Growth Commission are no longer current ... Pretty much every country in the developed world has a massive deficit right now and are shouldering massive debts.

“The UK debt is more than £300 billion roughly, 15% of GDP. The UK debt is in excess of two trillion pounds. But as countries, rightly in my view have borrowed to help businesses and individuals through the pandemic debt and deficits have increased.

“So Scotland, if we were independent right now, would not be in a materially different position to countries the world over and there are no credible economists suggesting the situation is to impose austerity and to impose cuts.

“Therefore, I don’t think it’s credible to suggest that an independent Scotland would somehow be in a uniquely different position.”