As Scottish Conservative MPs and MSPs react to May’s resignation, a theme immediately emerges from their statements – they praise the outgoing prime minister for her commitment to the union and call on her successor, whoever that may be, to show similar dedication, reports the Guardian’s Scotland correspondent Libby Brooks. Scottish Tories were bemused by May’s decision to offer a vote on a second EU referendum on Tuesday, having based their campaign strategy on a promise of “no more referendums” – either on the EU or independence. Most Scottish Tory parliamentarians would like Michael Gove, a Scots-born politician who is seen to “get” the union, as the next leader. But the Scottish party is now believed to fear more the possibility of Dominic Raab winning the leadership, considering him an ideologically rigid and fundamentalist rightwinger who has ignored their advice on Scottish affairs. Earlier on Friday, the Scottish Conservative MP Stephen Kerr – who has just praised May as “a trenchant defender of the union” – called for the Scottish Tories to reposition themselves as the “sister organisation to the Conservative party in Wales and in England”.

Source: The Guardian May 24, 2019 06:58 UTC