'Ignore her!': Liz Truss brands Nicola Sturgeon an 'attention seeker' in blistering attack

1 August 2022, 22:11

Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss has branded Nicola Sturgeon an "attention seeker" and said the best way of dealing with her is to "ignore her".

Ms Truss made the remarks at a hustings event in Exeter, where she and Rishi Sunak were grilled by Tory party members in the race to become Britain's next prime minister.

Asked about the Scottish First Minister's call for a second referendum on Scottish independence, Ms Truss referenced growing up in Paisley before saying: "I feel like I'm a child of the union, I really believe we're a family and we're better together and I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is ignore her."

Tory members cheered and applauded the comment, with the Foreign Secretary adding: "She's an attention seeker, that's what she is.

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"What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales what we're delivering for them and making sure that all of our Government policies apply right across the United Kingdom."

Ms Truss also shut down the idea of another independence referendum if she were to become prime minister.

SNP MP Chris Law, posting on Twitter with a link to Ms Truss's remarks, said: "The only reason why Scotland needs independence. Utter contempt from the future PM."

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During the hustings event Ms Truss also ruled out making changes to hunting laws, said she was "prepared to break eggs" in taking on Treasury and Whitehall orthodoxy, and pledged to defend free speech.

Meanwhile, her rival Rishi Sunak was applauded by Tory members after saying Ms Truss's policies on corporate taxation are "exactly the failed Treasury orthodoxy of the last 10 years".

He said: "If you look at my plans going forward, yes, of course I want to be responsible in managing inflation - that's the sensible Conservative thing to do, but, gosh, do I want to be radical about how we grow this economy.

"As chancellor, I set up freeports - it's one of the few things visibly that we can see as a benefit of Brexit. I want to reform financial services regulation, I want to make sure this is the best place in the world to innovate.

"I want to reform the corporate tax system ... Liz Truss's policies on corporate taxation are exactly the failed Treasury orthodoxy of the last 10 years, which hasn't worked. I want to change it and grow the economy."

In a varied series of questions from party members - who will decide the next PM - the former chancellor was also pressed on what he would do if not a politician.

"If I could run Southampton Football Club, I'd be a very happy man," he replied.

The hustings event was opened by former leadership rival Penny Mordaunt, who used her speech to pledge her backing for Ms Truss.

The Portsmouth North MP said the Conservatives will "short-change the country, we may lose an election" if they get the decision wrong.

She said: "I could have remained undeclared, I could be off sipping pina coladas right now but I'm not because this is too important and I'm not going to leave this to chance."

Ms Mordaunt noted choosing between the two candidates is hard, adding: "Who can lead? Who can build that team and deliver for our country? Who does have that bold economic plan that our nation needs?

"Who has got reach? Who can relate to people? Who understands that people need help with the cost of living now? And who is going to rightly clobber our opponents?

"Who is going to hold seats and win back councils and who most embodies the vision and values the British public had in their heads and their hearts when they voted in 2016 and 2019?

"At the start of this final phase of this contest, I didn't know the answer to those questions but I've seen enough to know who the person I'm going to put my faith in is - and that is Liz Truss."