'Weak' Labor to strike backroom deal with SNP on independence vote, Tories say

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The SNP hopes to strike a 'backroom deal' with Labor to secure a second independence referendum, Scottish Conservative deputy leader says.

< p>Meghan Gallacher has insisted such a deal would be 'sleekit' - a Scottish word meaning cunning or deceitful - as she warned Labor would be 'weak to the Union' if Sir Keir Starmer fails to not win a majority in the next general election.

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Humza Yousaf has already made it clear that the powers needed to hold a second independence referendum will be the price that he would demand if his party was needed to support a Labor administration.

But instead of planning a second vote on Scotland's place in the UK, Ms Gallacher argued that plans to independence from the SNP were to be 'completely abandoned', saying Scotland's ruling party should focus on the 'real priorities' of voters north of the border.

Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Meghan Gallacher

Addressing the Scottish Conservative Conference in Glasgow, Ms Gallacher said: "The independence strategy of the SNP does not need to be changed, it needs to be abandoned altogether.

"Humza Yousaf should focus on the real priorities of the Scottish people, not the selfish priorities of the SNP.

She added: 'And at the heart of this plan is a slick behind-the-scenes deal with Labor to demand indyref2 - as the price of SNP support for a Keir Starmer government.

< p >"Humza Yousaf, in his wildest dreams, would never expect a Conservative government to barter the future of our country.

"It's because the SNP suspects this we already know: Labor is weak against the Union."

I would trust my newborn for our vital public services before trusting the government of Humza Yousaf

Meghan Gallacher, Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Her comments came as she used her speech to attack the SNP, which has been in turmoil since Nicola Sturgeon stepped down as leader - with a police investigation into party finances...