Rishi Sunak can win the next general election and stop a deal between the SNP and Labour, 10 Scottish Tories have said as they announced their support for the former chancellor.
Mr Sunak currently trails opponent Liz Truss in the polls for the party’s leadership, but finished the first round with more support among MPs.
On Tuesday, 10 MPs and MSPs from north of the border, including former Scottish leader Jackson Carlaw, announced they were backing Mr Sunak.
MPs John Lamont and Andrew Bowie along with MSPs Maurice Golden, Jeremy Balfour, Miles Briggs, Dean Lockhart, Donald Cameron, Alexander Stewart and Liz Smith also backed the former chancellor.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the group played up his electability, which they claim would stop a deal between the SNP and Labour that would secure a second independence referendum.
Both Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar have repeatedly rejected the idea of a coalition or agreement with the SNP after the next general election.
“If we want to keep our country united, we must win the next election,” the Tories said.
“A Labour-SNP pact would put the future of the UK at risk and would give the nationalists licence to divide Scotland all over again with a second independence referendum.
“We cannot allow that to happen, and the polls consistently show that Rishi is the candidate most likely to win the next general election and put a stop to any dodgy backroom deal.
“A second divisive referendum is the wrong priority for Scotland at the worst possible time.”
He knows competence and prosperity are not just a recipe for Conservative success across the UK, but also to beat the SNP— Group of Scottish Tory politicians
The group went on to say that Mr Sunak was the “best candidate” to deal with the cost of living crisis as well as deliver “leadership on the world stage”.
The former chancellor also has a plan to “kick the SNP Government out of office”, the faction said.
“He knows competence and prosperity are not just a recipe for Conservative success across the UK, but also to beat the SNP,” they added.
“He has a plan which will work for Scotland and the whole of the UK.
“He wants to boost support for the Union by supporting shared infrastructure and by investing in local communities, delivering schemes and projects that work for them.
“He has already laid out plans on how to cut crime, to build the housing we need, to tackle the NHS backlogs and so much more.
“Under Rishi, management of the UK economy will be based on sound financial planning and improving productivity through enhancing skills and embracing new technology.
“This will ensure long term credibility and ultimately prosperity not just for this generation but for future generations.”
The article comes just 24 hours after nine Tory MSPs voiced their support for Liz Truss.
Writing in the Times, Finlay Carson, Sharon Dowey, Murdo Fraser, Rachael Hamilton, Liam Kerr, Stephen Kerr, Douglas Lumsden, Oliver Mundell and Graham Simpson described Ms Truss as a “heartfelt and passionate Unionist”, adding “with Liz as prime minister the Union won’t just be defended, it will be championed”.
