Theresa May’ election appeal to Scotland: ‘We are one people’

Theresa May has said Britons are "one people" at heart, as she urged Scottish voters to support the Conservatives in the General Election.

She promised to deliver for the whole of the United Kingdom if she wins on 8 June.

With recent elections showing Scots returning to the Conservatives, Mrs May told voters: "Come with me as I lead Britain. Strengthen my hand as I fight to strengthen our Union."

The PM was speaking after her party’s Scottish leader, Ruth Davidson, made a pitch to Labour voters unhappy with the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

"Let me do a job for you," Ms Davidson urged them at the launch of the Scottish Conservatives’ manifesto in Edinburgh.

Mrs May told Scots it is time to leave behind the "old tribal politics".

She encouraged people not to think about who they had voted for previously, calling on them to instead consider "who you want to lead our country in the future, who will get the best deal for the whole of the UK from Brexit".

Mrs May added: "It is time to come together in the national interest, united in our desire to make a success of Brexit."

More than 60% of Scottish voters backed Remain in last June’s EU referendum, a result which has led First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to call for a second independence vote.

Mrs May said: "I have been clear that now is not the time for another independence referendum. This is a time to pull together, not apart.

"A vote for any other party is a vote to weaken our Union, to weaken our negotiating hand in Europe and to put our future prosperity and security at risk."

She claimed that Mr Corbyn’s statement that a second independence referendum would be "absolutely fine" showed he is "too weak" to stand up for the United Kingdom.

Speaking to activists in Edinburgh, the Prime Minister also warned that depending on the results of the General Election, the Labour leader could be "propped up by the Scottish nationalists".

She insisted "only the Conservative and Unionist Party has the strength and credibility to stand up to the nationalists and defend our United Kingdom".

Mrs May hit out at the SNP’s "tunnel-vision obsession" with independence, claiming their record of 10 years in government is in contrast with a "Unionist government at the service of ordinary, working families".

She said: "As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I care just as much about the futures of children from Ayrshire and Angus as I do about the futures of children in Kent or Carlisle.

"I want everyone in our country to have the chance to live secure and prosperous lives, and reach their full potential.

"That is because of a simple truth. Across the United Kingdom, we may be four nations, but at heart we are one people. We all have a stake in each other’s success."

Mrs May was speaking the day after she unveiled the Tories’ General Election manifesto for the UK as a whole, which included a pledge to deliver a "strong and stable Union, with no divisive Scottish referendum at this time".

The Conservatives in Scotland are seeing their popularity grow, with the party now ahead of Labour there.

In 2015 just one Scottish Conservative MP was elected, but this time the party is targeting several seats north of the border, and could even oust some high-profile SNP figures like deputy leader Angus Robertson.

Responding to the speech, Mr Robertson said: "Theresa May flew into Edinburgh today to deliver one simple message to the people of Scotland – get back in your box.

"This carbon copy manifesto confirms beyond doubt that Tory MPs from Scotland will simply rubber-stamp Theresa May’s plans and endorse the damage she is determined to do to households and our economy.

"The Tories have done more to divide society, create instability and destroy opportunities for young people than any other government in living memory – now they are asking people to vote for them to fix the problems that they have created.

"The fact is, any Tory MPs elected in Scotland will put Theresa May’s extreme Brexit before the jobs in Scotland they should be protecting.

(c) Sky News 2017: Theresa May’ election appeal to Scotland: ‘We are one people’