Liz Truss completely rules out Indyref2 'on my watch' in race for Conservative leadership

The Prime Ministerial candidate has pledged there will be no second referendum on Scottish Independence if she is elected as the next leader as she promises to “strengthen the Union”.

The Foreign Secretary told The Telegraph she would refuse to authorise a new poll on the issue if she wins the Conservative leadership contest as she vowed to “strengthen our whole Union”.

Her comments come after Boris Johnson previously stated that now is “not the time” for a vote on independence for Scotland.

Last month, Nicola Sturgeon announced plans for a second independence referendum to be held in October 2023 as she outlined the first series of papers in her route map towards the date.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said there will be no second referendum on Scottish Independence on her watch.

Ms Truss said: “Scottish Nationalists accepted that their referendum was a once in a generation opportunity, and I will hold them to that."

“I will work to strengthen our whole Union. As prime minister, I will do what is necessary and right to defend our Union, just as I have already done on the Northern Ireland Protocol."

Brandon Lewis, who quit as Northern Ireland secretary earlier this month, endorsed Ms Truss to succeed Mr Johnson in Downing Street.

The former secretary accused Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor and Ms Truss’s rival for the Tory leadership, of blocking legislation intended to override the Protocol.

Once the run up to the next vote was announced by Ms Sturgeon, Mr Johnson responded: "As our country faces unprecedented challenges at home and abroad, I cannot agree that now is the time to return to a question, which was clearly answered by the people of Scotland in 2014."

However, on Saturday, Ms Truss said: “The SNP lost the 2014 referendum and Nicola Sturgeon is now leading a campaign of deception to steamroller the UK and break up the Union. But I am completely clear that there will be no second Scottish independence referendum on my watch.

“The Scottish Independence Referendum Bill isn’t legal and will be invalidated if passed by the Scottish Parliament. When Westminster devolved power to Scotland, it did not include the ability to hold valid referenda to break up the Union.

"Any Scotland independence referendum would need to be authorised by the Westminster parliament. If I become prime minister, I would not grant that authority."