Why general election is a two-horse race (that doesn’t involve Jeremy Corbyn) – Miles Briggs MSP

The general election will be mostly about one issue: whether to hold a second Scottish independence referendum or not, Conservative MSP Miles Briggs argues.

Nicola Sturgeon campaigns with SNP candidate for East Dunbartonshire, Amy Callaghan, in the seat won at the last election by the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

After two weeks on the campaign trail, the shoe leather is thinner – but for me as an MSP it is a great opportunity to speak to local residents and find out what people are really talking about. From the increasing anger at SNP ministers’ total mismanagement of the new Sick Kids Hospital to the ongoing concerns about the threat to the future of services at St John’s children’s ward, due to the SNP’s failure to implement a workforce plan, it is clear that many local issues are playing on people’s minds at this election.

However, the main thing which is repeated again and again on the doorstep is the need to stop a second divisive independence referendum. Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard have made it clear they will not “stand in the way” of the SNP’s drive for another campaign for separation.

Nicola Sturgeon has said she is ready to “do a deal” to put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street in exchange for another referendum. If Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour and the SNP win on December 12, expect to see another divisive independence referendum inflicted on Scotland. It is the last thing Scotland needs and will do nothing to address the many and increasing problems facing our Scottish NHS that are building up under Nicola Sturgeon and this SNP Government.

Miles Briggs is a Conservative MSP for Lothian

I know from the many conversations I’ve had on the doorsteps across Lothian not only how disappointed former Labour voters are with Jeremy Corbyn working towards a pact in Westminster with the SNP, but also how angry and abandoned they feel politically. That’s why every Scottish Conservative & Unionist candidate is working harder than ever to earn your trust and ask you to consider lending us your support at this election. The Prime Minister and every Scottish Conservative MP reiterated this week that we will oppose a second independence referendum no matter what.

From East Lothian to Livingston, former Lothian Labour voters can stop Nicola Sturgeon and a second independence referendum. By lending your vote to the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party, we can defeat SNP MPs across Lothian and stop them dragging Scotland back to divisions of the past. This election is not about choosing whether you’re Labour or Conservative, it’s about saying no to Nicola Sturgeon and her divisive “independence at any cost” government.

At the last election I was the candidate in Edinburgh South West. I was incredibly grateful to the many former Labour and Liberal Democrat voters and people who just wanted to see Scotland move away from the constitutional divisions of the past who lent me their support to try to defeat the SNP. That resulted in the SNP majority in Edinburgh South West collapsing to just 1,097 votes, one of the most marginal seats in Scotland with the Labour Party now in a distant third place.

I’m delighted that my friend and local campaigner Cllr Callum Laidlaw has been selected as the candidate to become the next MP for Edinburgh South West. Across Lothian and the wider Evening News area, it’s now a clear two-horse race between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP.

I know at this election the priority for many voters is to defeat the SNP and stop Nicola Sturgeon’s campaign for another referendum. The message is clear – former Labour voters across Lothian have the power in their hands to stop Nicola Sturgeon and get back to the things that really matter like delivering improvements to health, education and transport.

Miles Briggs is a Conservative MSP for Lothian