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Ruth Davidson outlining Scotland in EU plan Ruth Davidson: Scottish independence 'not inevitable'
(about 2 hours later)
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives is spelling out her "alternative plan for Scotland" in the wake of the Brexit vote. Ruth Davidson has said that Scottish independence is not inevitable as she unveiled an expert group to examine the impact of Brexit on Scotland.
In a speech to an audience of foreign diplomats in London, Ruth Davidson will also say the UK must remain outward looking and not "turn in on itself". In a speech in London, the Scottish Conservative leader said recent polls suggested the majority of people in Scotland did not back independence.
And she will say the country must remain a "beacon" for liberal, democratic values. And she said the prospect of a second referendum had now been "parked in a lay-by" by the SNP.
Ms Davidson campaigned for a Remain vote ahead of June's referendum. The Scottish government said the Conservatives were "utterly clueless"
She is due to say: "I fought for Britain to stay together in the Scottish referendum two years ago. I did so not just because of the bottom line but because I believe the United Kingdom is a force for good. Speaking immediately after the result of the EU referendum was announced, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said another vote on independence was "highly likely" and instructed civil servants to start drawing up plans for a referendum.
"Now that we are leaving the European Union, more than ever, we must prove to you that we remain that same outward facing nation which wants to play our full part...which seeks to be a beacon for the values we share - of the rule of law, freedom and solidarity with one another. But addressing an audience of foreign diplomats, Ms Davidson - who backed Remain ahead of the EU referendum - said the "shock" of the Brexit vote had now started to subside.
"The structures behind our relationship will change over the coming years. I am confident that the nature of our friendship will not." 'Referendum fatigue'
Televised debate She said the SNP's strategy had always been to make independence feel inevitable, but insisted that this assumption was "wrong" and that Scotland was now suffering from "referendum fatigue" after two votes in three years.
The vast majority of her Scottish Conservative colleagues also backed the UK remaining in the EU, with Ms Davidson clashing with high-profile Leave campaigner Boris Johnson, who is now foreign secretary, in a televised debate ahead of the referendum. She added: "In unsettled times that pose deep and existential questions, nationalism seeks to give easy answers wrapped in a flag.
Ms Davidson's party is currently the second largest in the Scottish Parliament behind the SNP, whose leader - Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon - has previously said a second independence referendum is "highly likely" after Scotland voted to Remain in the EU but the UK as a whole voted to leave. "It thrives on chaos, and it is fair to describe that week after the (EU) vote as chaotic.
"In the immediate aftermath of the result there was a modest swing in favour of independence, but more recent polls have made it clear that this swing has not been maintained. In other words, we are back to where we were".
She argued that this had been partially recognised by the SNP, with Ms Sturgeon opting to leave her draft referendum bill "on a low shelf" when she published her programme for government last week.
Ms Davidson said: "The unstoppable bandwagon of late June now appears to have been parked in a lay-by.
"We have had five years of uncertainty and rancour over our constitutional status, now added to by the EU referendum result.
"As a result, most people in Scotland now do not want to add to that any more - yes they remain troubled by the EU result, but that is not translated into support for further constitutional upheaval in the form of yet another referendum on independence."
She said there was a risk that Scotland would enter a damaging constitutional "limbo period", with the SNP leadership "caught between the demands of their core support and the political realities of the majority of Scots".
'Deliver for Scotland'
Ms Davidson said her party's new expert group would assess the risks and opportunities of Brexit for Scotland.
The group includes MSPs Adam Tomkins and Alexander Stewart, MEP Ian Duncan, former Scottish Whiskey Association head Gavin Hewitt and former CBI Scotland director Sir Iain McMillan.
She added: "I will ask them to report to me on how best they believe Brexit can deliver for Scotland, and crucially for the entire United Kingdom too".
The Scottish government has already set up a similar group to examine how best to protect Scotland's place in Europe.
A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon said evidence was mounting of the "potentially huge damage Brexit threatens to jobs, investment and Scotland's economy".A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon said evidence was mounting of the "potentially huge damage Brexit threatens to jobs, investment and Scotland's economy".
He added: "It is Ruth Davidson and her Tory colleagues who have created the problem but who also appear utterly clueless about how to fix it.He added: "It is Ruth Davidson and her Tory colleagues who have created the problem but who also appear utterly clueless about how to fix it.
"As a start, perhaps Ms Davidson can answer the simple question that her boss the prime minister was unable to answer last week: does she believe the UK should continue in the single market - yes or no?" "As a start, perhaps Ms Davidson can answer the simple question that her boss, the prime minister, was unable to answer last week: does she believe the UK should continue in the single market - yes or no?"