Indyref2 would be more ‘brutal and corrosive’ than 2014 warns Jackson Carlaw

A second referendum on Scottish independence will be more "painful, brutal and corrosive" than the last vote in 2014, according to Tory leader Jackson Carlaw.

He warned Scots against "sleepwalking" into a repeat of the previous vote over the prospect of an SNP-Labour deal if next week's election brings about a hung Parliament.

Mr Carlaw warned against "reopening divisions" as he made a keynote speech in Edinburgh today with less than a week before voters go to the polls.

"We know that another independence referendum next year or two referendums would be even more painful, brutal, corrosive and protracted than the last one," Mr Carlaw said.

Jackson Carlaw has warned against indyref2

"Re-opening divisions. Creating yet more uncertainty."

Nicola Sturgeon has warned that her price for SNP support for Labour in the event of a hung Parliament would be a transfer of power from Westminster - which has control over the constitution - to allow Holyrood to stage an independence referendum.

Mr Carlaw added: "This time next week, it’s widely anticipated that Nicola Sturgeon is planning to issue her formal demand for a second independence referendum.

"A referendum she plans to hold within twelve months. She has said so herself. That is her stated position."

He added: "I want to send out a very clear message to voters here in Scotland. We must not sleepwalk into disaster over this coming week.

"We must act instead to stop Indyref2, stop Scotland going back to more division, tell her again, no, and let our country move on."

And Mr Carlaw issued a direct appeal to non-Tory voting Scotland to back the party this time over the constitutional issue.

"We need people of all political persuasions to lend us their vote and further reduce the number of SNP MPs," Mr Carlaw added.

"You don’t have to be a paid up member of the party to back us at this election. You don’t have to be an old school dyed-in-the-wool Tory. You just have to agree with us that, at this election, stopping that referendum is the over-riding priority."