Britain’s new prime minister Liz Truss is visiting Scotland to meet the Queen at Balmoral, where she will be invited to form a government following her victory over Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party leadership contest.
Despite being born in Oxford and spending her teenage years in Leeds, Ms Truss actually lived in Paisley, Renfrewshire, for eight years as a child in the 1980s, where she attended West Primary School.
The daughter of left-wing parents, she has recalled attending Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament demonstrations at the Faslane naval base and chanting anti-Thatcher slogans such as “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie! Oot, oot, oot!” a far cry from her current Iron Lady posturing.
While that might hint at an affinity for Scottish independence, she has already made clear her opposition to the Scottish National Party (SNP)’s determination to stage a second referendum on the question in 2023.
The last independence vote was held on 18 September 2014, finishing with 55.3 per cent victory for the “no” campaign, but the UK Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a legal case in October that will determine whether a second can be held without the consent of Westminster, with the adverse impact of Brexit on Britain fuelling fresh desire for a breakup of the union north of the border.
The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that a Truss administration could legislate to make it more difficult for a “yes” vote to pass, requiring 50.1 per cent of the entire electorate to back such a move, not just a majority percentage of the turnout on the day in question.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon responded to that in an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sky News by warning the new PM not to “gerrymander the rules”.
“Just because you fear losing a democratic contest, it’s not an excuse or doesn’t make it acceptable to rewrite the rules of democracy,” she said.
Speaking in Exeter during last month’s husting events for the leadership contest, Ms Truss was highly critical of her Scottish counterpart, paving the way for trouble ahead: “I feel like I’m a child of the union, I really believe we’re a family and we’re better together and I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is ignore her.
“She’s an attention-seeker, that’s what she is.
“What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales what we’re delivering for them and making sure that all of our government policies apply right across the United Kingdom.”
At another hustings in Perth, where pro-independence demonstrators staged a noisy demonstration outside the city’s concert hall, Ms Truss said she would “not allow” another vote.
“If I am elected as prime minister, I will not allow another independence referendum,” she continued.
“At the time of the 2014 referendum, it was agreed by the SNP that it was a once-in-a-generation referendum.
“I believe in politicians keeping their promises, and Nicola Sturgeon should keep her promise. What she should do, rather than agitating for another referendum, is dealing with the very real issues in Scotland.
“There is a backlog in the Scottish National Health Service – I know that is a priority for the Scottish people and that is what we should be talking about, that is what the Scottish government should be dealing with.”
Elsewhere, she pledged to hold the Scottish Parliament to account over its “failure” to deliver quality public services, again attacking the SNP.
“I will never let anyone talk down Scotland’s potential,” she said.
“As a nation we are stronger together and the UK needs Scotland as much as Scotland needs the UK.
“For too long, people in Scotland have been let down by the SNP focusing on constitutional division instead of their priorities. That won’t happen under my watch.”
She continued: “I’ll make sure that my government does everything to ensure elected representatives hold the devolved administration to account for its failure to deliver the quality public services, particularly health and education, that Scottish people deserve.
“As prime minister and minister for the union, I will deliver on my ambitious plan to capitalise on the opportunity we have to turbocharge the growth and business investment required to get Scotland’s economy moving.”
At another hustings in Darlington, she discussed the subject of North Sea oil drilling licences, which she regards as a key part of the solution to the UK’s present energy woes.
According to The Times, Ms Truss plans to offer up to 130 new licences and encourage companies with existing platforms in place to invest more and ramp up production, a position that again risks putting her at odds with Ms Sturgeon, who may continue to prefer to prioritise the interests of the environment.
“I also want to make sure we’re exploiting all of the gas reserves and the capacity we have in the UK,” she told her Conservative audience in the north east.
“It is important we increase the supply of energy, and there are more resources to be used in the North Sea.”
