WESTMINSTER has never looked so “arrogant and out of touch” with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss confirmed as the final two vying to be the UK’s next prime minister, the SNP have said.
On Wednesday, party member favourite Penny Mordaunt was kicked out of the race after Truss saw a boost to her numbers in the final ballot of MPs.
Sunak and Truss, both high-ranking cabinet members under Boris Johnson, will go head-to-head over the summer in numerous hustings around the country and will face a ballot of Tory party members before the winner is confirmed on September 5.
It comes as the First Minister pointed out in a blog post that, whoever wins, Scotland “did not vote for” either to be Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Labour said the contest was so “scarily embarrassing” that both of the candidates had pulled out of a Sky News debate earlier this week, forcing the show to be cancelled.
Sunak won the final round of voting amongst MPs and picked up 137 votes, followed by Truss on 113. Mordaunt fell short and was removed from the contest on 105 votes.
Speaking after the results were declared, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford blasted: "If Scotland had any say in the Tory leadership contest, both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak would have swiftly been shown the door.
"In this woeful race it's clear whoever wins, Scotland loses.
"With the Tories lurching even further to the right, and the Labour Party backing them on austerity cuts and a hard Brexit, it's beyond doubt that the only way to keep Scotland safe from the damage of Westminster control is to become an independent country.
"Westminster has never looked so arrogant and out of touch.
“Independence is the only way to secure a permanent alternative and escape Westminster control for good."
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said earlier that she was concerned the leadership contest was pushing the Tories “further to the right” and away from “mainstream” Scottish values.
She said: “So far, we have seen the candidates for prime minister promise tax cuts for the rich, cuts to public spending and public services. They have also launched blatant attacks on devolution and the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
“While families and households across the country are trying to navigate a severe cost of living crisis, caused by rising inflation and stagnant wages, we have heard next to nothing from any of these potential prime ministers on what they will do to alleviate these pressures.
“Every minute the Tories spend squabbling over who gets to 10 Downing Street comes at the cost of support and investment to help people across the country who are struggling now.”
Lorna Slater (below), the Scottish Green minister and party co-leader, said neither Truss nor Sunak represented change.
She went on: "They both backed every single damaging decision that Boris Johnson made, whether it was the cruel Universal Credit cut that plunged thousands of people into poverty, the terrible Brexit deal that has curbed our right to travel while driving up prices or his undemocratic attempts to block an independence referendum.
"Nor are they offering anything better in the future. They both want more oil and gas drilling and will double down on the cuts and austerity that 12 years of Tory governments have inflicted and the cruel Rwanda flights and hostile environment for refugees.
"It doesn't need to be like this. The people of Scotland didn't vote for either of them or for their government. Independence isn't just about removing uncaring and unaccountable Tory Prime Ministers. It's about taking our future into our own hands."
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner tweeted in the aftermath of the results to criticise Sunak and Truss for dodging scrutiny and refusing to take part in the Sky News debate.
She added: “They’re hiding from the public and their record. The Tories have no leadership and no answers.
“They’re unfit to govern. Only Labour can provide the fresh start the country needs.”
Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting tweeted: “Our next prime minister will be someone who propped up Johnson, voted for every one of his 15 tax rises, and parroted his lies.
“After 12 years of Conservative failure they expect more time to fail. Their time is up.”
Both Sunak and Truss have seen their fair share of scandals during their time in office.
For Sunak, he faced questions over his US green card while chancellor, his wife’s non-dom status which meant she paid less UK tax, his decision to write off £4.3 billion in Covid fraud, the National Insurance hike, and cut to Universal Credit. Even this week, he appeared to have confused County Durham town Darlington as being in Scotland.
Truss meanwhile was accused of being behind the cut to climate protections in the trade deal with Australia, had an affair with a married MP in 2009, and faced criticism in her role as women and equalities minister for hitting out at “identity politics”, refusing to bring in self-ID for transgender people.
