Tory leadership front-runner Liz Truss sparked a furious backlash after branding Nicola Sturgeon an attention-seeker who should be ignored.
The UK foreign secretary – who is favourite to succeed Boris Johnson – was describing her attitude to the first minister’s demands for an independence referendum.
Meanwhile, Ms Truss’s ally Jacob Rees-Mogg said the SNP leader is “always moaning”.
The provocative comments were described as evidence the UK Government is prepared to sideline and patronise Scotland.
Deputy first minister John Swinney said Scots will be “absolutely horrified” by the Tory leadership hopeful’s comments.
Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said Ms Truss is carrying out an “all-out assault on devolution”.
Lorna Slater, a Green party politician in the Scottish Government said Ms Truss displayed a total disrespect.
At a Tory party election event on Monday night, Ms Truss said: “She’s an attention-seeker, that’s what she is.
“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.”
Mr Rees-Mogg, on Sky News, said: “I think she’s very often wrong, she’s always moaning, and we need to focus on how the Union benefits people.”
Ms Truss insisted she is “child of the union” due to her time going to school in Paisley.
The foreign secretary is set to face off against rival Rishi Sunak in a Perth hustings event later this month in a bid to win over voters.
Perthshire MSP John Swinney hit back on Tuesday, saying: “People in Scotland, whatever their politics, will be absolutely horrified by the obnoxious remarks that Liz Truss has made”.
He added: “I think Liz Truss has fundamentally, with one, silly, intemperate intervention, fundamentally undermined the argument she tries to put forward: that Scotland, somehow, can be fairly and well treated at the heart of the United Kingdom.”
‘Total disrespect’
Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said Ms Truss has shown “total disrespect” and “contempt” for everyone that voted for a pro-independence majority of MSPs.
“She knows that the democratic case for a referendum is unanswerable, so she would rather patronise us and ignore us,” she said.
Mr Yousaf, reacting on Tuesday, said: “Stating that all UK Government policy should apply in Scotland, from the party that hasn’t ruled out including the NHS in future trade deals, should concern us all.”
Dundee SNP MP Chris Law said Ms Truss’ performance was a display of “utter contempt from the future PM”.
However, Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Murdo Fraser – who supports Ms Truss -said people should “ignore the manufactured outrage” from SNP members.
“Let’s just remember that, according to polling, barely a third, if that, of the Scottish population support an independence referendum on the timescale being proposed by Nicola Sturgeon,” he said.
Conversation