Scottish Conservatives claim that they are the only party who can stop the SNP in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The Tory appeal to anti-independence voters follows the release of the latest YouGov opinion poll which predicts the SNP will win no less than 43 of Scotland’s 59 constituencies, an increase of eight MPs.
The Tories didn’t win any seats in Edinburgh at the last general election – the SNP won three constituencies while Labour and the Lib Dems won one apiece.
Hardly grounds for Tory optimism, you may think, but the Scottish Conservatives seem hell-bent on turning the general election into a Union vs Independence battle once again in Scotland, with a none too subtle appeal to Labour voters.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, said: “These figures show that Scottish Conservatives are the only alternative to the Nationalists in Edinburgh, West Lothian, Midlothian an East Lothian.
“This election is not about choosing whether you are Labour or Conservative, it is about saying no to Nicola Sturgeon and her divisive, ‘Independence at any cost’ government.
“Former Labour voters across Lothian have the power in their hands to stop Nicola Sturgeon and get back to the things that really matter like delivering improvements to health, education and transport.”
Health, education and transport are all live election issues for voters south of the border but in Scotland they are devolved to the Holyrood parliament, where the SNP are by far the biggest party.
| i | code | constituency | Con | Lab | LD | Brexit | Green | SNP | PC | Other | |
| 553 | 593 | S14000020 | East Lothian | 26 | 29 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 2 |
| 555 | 595 | S14000022 | Edinburgh East | 16 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| 556 | 596 | S14000023 | Edinburgh North and Leith | 21 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 41 | 0 | 2 |
| 557 | 597 | S14000024 | Edinburgh South | 15 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 558 | 598 | S14000025 | Edinburgh South West | 27 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 1 |
| 559 | 599 | S14000026 | Edinburgh West | 20 | 9 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 576 | 615 | S14000043 | Linlithgow and East Falkirk | 27 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 577 | 616 | S14000044 | Livingston | 25 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 0 |
| 578 | 617 | S14000045 | Midlothian | 24 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
It may well be the case that the Tories won’t need to improve their position in Scotland, where they currently hold 13 of Scotland’s 59 seats. The latest YouGov poll predicts that the Tories will win an outright majority in next month’s general election – while being soundly trounced in Scotland.
So who offers most – or poses the biggest threat – to the people of Scotland: Boris Johnson or Nicola Sturgeon? That’s down to you, the voter …
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