Tory leadership race: Hard to see downsides for SNP in race for No.10
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Cries of ‘now is not the time’ has been replaced with ‘not now, and never’ when it comes to a second independence referendum, with the majority of unionist thinking across all colours appearing to rely on hope it will all just eventually go away.
The three top challengers – Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss – are gifts of different types to the SNP and not one will be startling the leadership.
Take the former chancellor turned knife wielder, Mr Sunak.
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Hide AdThere is an apparent presumption that discarding Boris Johnson will rid the Conservative party of a significant degree of the brand damage inflicted on it, but such a belief is naïve in the extreme should Sunak emerge victorious.
His pledge to circumvent Holyrood to implement policy will already be on a draft SNP electoral leaflet for that so-called ‘de-facto referendum’ at the next general election, while his fine for parties during lockdown will be seized on, as will his ownership of the cost-of-living crisis and his government’s failure to radically tackle rocketing inflation.
Sunak is a comfortable choice for distressed Conservative MPs, but his close association with Boris Johnson will not be washed away by a handful of snazzy graphics and a lower number on his front door in the minds of voters.
Truss, meanwhile, embodies everything the SNP would wish in a Prime Minister.
Prone to gaffes on par with those of Johnson, the foreign secretary appeals to the firmest on the right.
As subtle as a mallet, her premiership would be a boon to the SNP keen to distance its version of Scotland further from the politics of the UK.
That leaves Mordaunt, who is well-liked by the grassroots and backed by several Scottish Conservatives, but lacks substance on the question of the union.
In a piece for the Scottish Daily Mail, the contender relied on grandiose ideals of uniting the pro-union cause behind the Conservative party rather than substantive ideas on how to tackle the SNP’s dominance.
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Hide AdAs long as that remains a weakness, none of the contenders will be viewed as a serious threat by the First Minister.
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