David Cameron uses fear of second Scottish referendum in bid to scare voters into blocking Brexit
Eurosceptic Tories are furious with the PM for his latest dose of Project Fear
DAVID Cameron today put the break-up of Britain on the EU referendum ballot paper in his latest bid to scare voters into backing Remain.
Downing Street repeatedly refused to rule out holding a second Scottish independence referendum in the event of Brexit – despite the PM previously insisting there would be “no re-runs” of the 2014 vote.
It came after Mr Cameron told a TV audience “I do worry” about a second independence vote if Britain cuts ties with Brussels on June 23 – and sparked a furious backlash.
Scottish Nationalist Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has said a re-run is “almost inevitable” if the UK as a whole chooses to leave but a majority of Scots vote to stay.
But the PM has to authorise one – and Mr Cameron has repeatedly appeared to rule that out by insisting the 55 per cent to 45 per cent 2014 vote had decided the matter.
Speaking on the steps of Downing Street the day after the result, he said: “The debate has been settled for a generation – as Alex Salmond has said, perhaps for a lifetime.
“So there can be no disputes, no re-runs. We have heard the settled will of the Scottish people.”
However in a massive shift on Tuesday night he said: “Frankly, I do worry about a second Scottish referendum if we vote to leave and you don’t strengthen your country by leading to its break-up.
“So I’m deeply patriotic, I think this is a case for a bigger, greater Britain inside a European Union.”
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It was seen as a cynical move with Ms Sturgeon joining forces with Tories to represent the Remain camp in a three-on-three EU debate against Boris Johnson’s Leave team tomorrow, and George Osborne heading north of the border for a campaign visit.
And it triggered an angry reaction from Tory Brexit backers.
Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy blasted: “Anyone who raises the prospect of a second referendum in the hope of trying to persuade people to vote against Brexit is wilfully misleading the public.
“In the words of the Scottish Nationalists, it was a ‘once in a generation’ vote with a clear cut result and wholly irrelevant to the EU debate.
“We need to raise the debate above this attempt to pull on the heart strings of unionist Tories.”
Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: “The SNP said it would be a once in a generation referendum on separatism.
“We should no more be bullied by Nicola Sturgeon and the Scots Nats than by Barack Obama and Nicola Sturgeon.
“The question of Scottish independence is totally separate and any attempt to link the two is profoundly wrong.”
SNP MPs who are supposed to be backing Remain also seized on the comments.
Shadow Commons leader Pete Wishart wrote on Twitter: “Cameron ‘worries about a second Scottish referendum’ if we vote to leave. Never heard him confirm that before.”
And SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson added: “PM David Cameron acknowledges impact of Scotland being taken out of EU against wishes of Scottish voters”