The long contest to succeed Boris Johnson as UK Conservative leader and next prime minister enters its final phase on Tuesday evening with one-off parties in Scotland. the Tories chose Perth, a city once considered a Tory stronghold. Both candidates will be challenged on the escalating cost of living crisis and rising energy bills and the lack of urgent action from the UK government. But a third question is likely to dominate this event: whether Truss was right earlier in the campaign to sack the Scottish first minister by saying she should be “ignored”. Senior officials in both camps agree it was a mistake. He suggested that Truss, the clear favorite to win, had adopted a “muscle unionist” approach to Sturgeon’s nationalist government. It undermined a more subtle strategy devised by Michael Gove to quietly promote union by putting UK government money into roads, community projects and infrastructure, bypassing the devolved Scottish government by working directly with councils. An ally of Sunak said Truss’s comments, and her devastating suggestion that public sector wages could be cut in northern areas, had alienated Tory councilors in his constituency, who had switched support from Truss to the former chancellor . More seriously, she said, her remarks in Exeter showed a “profound misunderstanding” of the need to persuade moderate unionists and non-aligned voters to back the union in a future referendum. “He’ll probably win it [so] why did she fall to this extreme position when it is going to create further difficulties for her later on? Just say, ‘I have to become a statesman’ instead of throwing red meat at the ultras,” he said. Truss’ supporters in Scotland admit they have advised her to take a less bellicose tone against Sturgeon: they insist Truss will take Gove’s strategy gently. “To me it was just a throwaway line to a party audience,” said an ally. “I don’t think we will see a significant change of approach in Scotland. The focus will be on raising the profile of the UK government and direct investment, which I think is very smart policy.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. And like Theresa May and Boris Johnson, both Sunak and Truss refused to agree to Sturgeon’s call for Westminster to approve a new independence referendum. “On this big ticket issue, there is not going to be any change,” said a Truss ally. Sunak and Truss will bid for the votes of more than 10,000 members of the Scottish Tory party on Tuesday night. Now much more controlled in their policy fields after a series of upsets, both candidates made carefully choreographed visits to the north-east of Scotland – now the Tory power base in Scotland. The Tories are walking a tightrope on energy policy here. Talk of a windfall tax on energy companies is playing badly in Aberdeen, which has made its fortune on North Sea oil. Despite a steady erosion of support elsewhere in Scotland during Johnson’s leadership – losing seven of their 13 Westminster seats in the 2019 general election, the Tories held on to much of the North East, retaining many more Holyrood seats in the region in 2021. Sunak visited Inverurie and was reportedly due to have an off-camera visit to meet fishermen. Truss went to ‘tread a cask’ at a whiskey still in Elgin, before hosting a private party in Aberdeen. Both candidates announced plans to strengthen parliamentary accountability of the Scottish Government. Sunak said the permanent secretary for Scotland should be summoned to appear before MPs in London. Truss said MSPs would be given parliamentary privilege similar to MPs’ legal immunity to allow them to challenge Scottish ministers more vigorously. The visit of the whiskey has symbolic resonance for Truss. Aside from her Exeter blunder, supporters argue she has a proven track record of investment in Scotland: the Department for International Trade and then the Foreign Office Truss increased the civil service’s presence in Scotland and helped reduce tariffs on US imports. in Scotch whisky. MP John Lamont, Sunak’s Scottish campaign co-ordinator, said the former chancellor’s appeal was much wider than civil servants and brewers. He was “quick” in providing the license and business support during the pandemic. that helped everyone. “With the cost of living crisis, he gets and understands what’s required,” Lamont said. David Mundell MP, a former Scottish secretary who will introduce Truss to the Perth lodges, said: “I know her commitment to the union: she spent part of her childhood here in Scotland and understands the issues in Scotland and her place in the UK Kingdom. She’s not just an enthusiastic trade unionist, I think she’s bold.” Truss will have an immediate advantage over its predecessor, adds Mundell. “What it boils down to is that he is not Boris Johnson. We are not going to have a double referendum on Boris Johnson and on independence. It will be less divisive and it will hurt Scotland’s Mediterranean voters,” he said.
