Voting for any party other than the Conservatives will weaken the Union between Scotland and the rest of the UK and could lead to a worse Brexit deal for Britain, the Prime Minister has warned.
Theresa May launched the Scottish Conservative election manifesto with the clear message that protecting the Union "is a personal priority for me".
She branded Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn "too weak" to stand up for the United Kingdom, after he previously said a second Scottish independence referendum would be "absolutely fine".
Speaking to activists in Edinburgh, the Prime Minister also warned that depending on the results of the General Election, the Labour leader could be "propped up by the Scottish nationalists".
Mrs May told voters north of the border: "A vote for me and my team is a vote for strong and stable leadership.
"Every vote for me and my team will strengthen my hand in the negotiations to come.
"Every vote will help me get a better deal for the whole United Kingdom.
"And every vote from Scotland will strengthen my hand when I stand up for our United Kingdom here at home."
Mrs May insisted "only the Conservative and Unionist Party has the strength and credibility to stand up to the nationalists and defend our United Kingdom".
She added: "I have been clear that now is not the time for another independence referendum. This is a time to pull together, not apart.
"A vote for any other party is a vote to weaken our Union, to weaken our negotiating hand in Europe and to put our future prosperity and security at risk.
"Our future prosperity depends on having the strongest possible hand as we enter those negotiations in order to get the best Brexit deal for families across this country.
"If we fail, the consequences for the United Kingdom and for the economic security of ordinary working people will be dire. If we succeed, the opportunities ahead of us are great."
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