Tory hopeful Rory Stewart visits Edinburgh

TORY leadership hopeful Rory Stewart stopped off in Stockbridge as he visited Edinburgh on his tour of towns and cities across the UK.

Roy Stewart met Stockbridge youngsters Lily and Indigo Burt

Six-year-old Lily Burt, who is in P1 at Edinburgh Academy, and sister Indigo, 4, may not have a vote in the contest to succeed Theresa May, but their granny Fenella Bound was keen for them to meet a potential future prime minister.

“I’m a big supporter,” she said. “I’ve always admired him. He is very calm and I think perhaps he could bring everybody together. I’m a Remain voter and I’ll be voting Lib Dem if he doesn’t win.”

Nathanael Vette, from Tollcross, who also took time to talk to Mr Stewart, admitted he had not followed his political career. “But I’ve read a couple of his books and he’s certainly a fantastic author.”

Mr Stewart also met Conservative students at Edinburgh University and some Tory MSPs at the Scottish Parliament.

He said if he won he would resist a second referendum on Brexit and on independence. “The problem with referendums is they’re divisive and they resolve nothing. You’ve got to get beyond that choice into what is your vision for Scotland, how do we make a better, fairer society?”

He said he had voted Remain but accepted the result and wanted “a pragmatic, moderate Brexit, leaving the political institutions of the EU but remaining close to Europe economically diplomatically”,

He acknowledged Scotland had voted differently from the UK as a whole.

“There should always be, from any democratic politician, account taken of the way people voted in different areas - it is an important fact, but it doesn’t change the rules of the game. In the end you set the rules, you accept the rules and you don’t change the rules because you lost. I feel as someone who voted Remain I should be delivering Brexit - but a responsible, sensible Brexit that works for Scotland.”