Conservatives: Scottish seats are not needed to rule

THE Conservatives have insisted that they would still have a mandate to rule in Scotland even if they return only a handful of Scottish MPs to the House of Commons.

• David and Samantha Cameron pictured during campaigning in Newquay, Cornwall, yesterday

With only three full days of campaigning left, the latest polls suggest that the "Cameron effect" is failing to have any impact on Scottish voters, unlike in England and Wales.

A TNS-BMRB opinion poll yesterday suggested that the party would not have a single MP north of the Border, while a second YouGov poll for Scotland on Sunday predicted only one MP.

David Mundell is their only current representative at Westminster.

Reacting to the news, Scottish Conservative election campaign director David McLetchie yesterday launched a vigorous defence of his party's right to rule. He claimed Scots would accept the judgment of the UK electorate as a whole, because the majority of its voters wanted to remain within the Union.

He argued that the polls did not reflect the rising support for the Conservatives in their 11 target seats in Scotland and insisted the party would make gains.

"Scotland is taking part in a British general election. The vast, overwhelming majority of Scots want to be part of Britain and they accept the judgment of the electorate as a whole," he said. "So David Cameron does have a mandate to govern Britain, of which Scotland is a part."

His words echo those of Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie, who controversially suggested her party did not need Scottish seats to govern north of the Border.

Last night, the latest national polls continued to put the Tories in the lead. YouGov gave the Tories 34 per cent, ahead of the Lib Dems on 29 and Labour on 28, while an ICM poll gave the Tories 33 per cent against the Lib Dems and Labour both on 28.

While this still puts the outcome in hung parliament territory, it places the Tories in prime position to form a coalition, with Mr Cameron as prime minister.

But without significant support in Scotland, some have predicted that a Tory government could prompt a constitutional crisis north of the Border.

What is certain is that the SNP will immediately attack a Tory administration which seeks to impose cuts on Scotland or change the Barnett formula, which determines the Scottish block grant.

The SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said: "For David McLetchie to effectively say that the way Scotland votes in the General Election doesn't matter shows the Tories up in their old anti-Scottish colours.

"What David Cameron intends to do is count every vote for Labour and the Lib Dems in the Tories' pro-Union tally, which would be disastrous for Scotland."

Alex Salmond and the Scottish Government are preparing a turf war over the Barnett formula, which governs how money is shared out across the UK, and the Conservatives have promised a review.

The SNP has claimed the Tory party has refused to guarantee that consent from Holyrood would have to be given to any changes, which could see Scotland's share decrease.

It is also clear that the SNP plans to create a crisis on the 50th day of any Cameron government, when the Tories unveil their emergency budget with more cuts, even though shadow chancellor George Osborne has guaranteed the Scottish budget would not be touched in the first year. But the Nationalists have pointed out that this will mean Scotland is hit by a "double whammy" in 2010-11.

However, Mr Cameron has made it clear he intends to lead a charm offensive on Scots, should he become Prime Minister.

Mr Cameron, who is due to make only his second election trip of the campaign to Scotland this week, has promised he would visit Holyrood and meet Mr Salmond in the first week of taking office. Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, has said the actions of the parties after the election will be more important than the result.

"It all depends on whether the Conservatives' respect agenda works," he said.

"Also, the SNP have relied on the Conservatives in Holyrood to keep them in office, so they will have to think twice about an all-out attack.

"Also, it is quite possible that this could help Labour in Scotland, who could take advantage of the situation for the Holyrood election next year as the party best equipped to take on the Tories."

The Tories have insisted they want to be more co-operative than Gordon Brown's Labour government and would send ministers to Holyrood to explain the consequences of the Queen's speech and the Budget and pre-Budget report.

Mr Cameron has also offered an annual question time session with MSPs.

The Tory party has also outlined plans in the first 12 months to publish a white paper on the Calman Commission proposals to strengthen devolution.

And they have said they will discuss all "grievance" issues, such as Barnett consequentials of Olympic cash not coming to Scotland and the fossil fuel levy available to Scotland but blocked from being used by the Treasury.

But Mr Cameron has made it clear he will take on the SNP's "separatist agenda".

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