IN the wake of a poll of Conservative party members that, amongst other things, showed they were prepared to sacrifice the “ precious union” to deliver Brexit, Jeremy Hunt dismissed its findings as he visited Scotland to try and bolster his leadership credentials. ( “Something fishy going on ....Hunt comes north with unity message”, The Herald, June 24)

Mr Hunt was taking the opportunity to flaunt his Scottish connections in the knowledge that Tories north of the border, with the exception of the sycophantic MP Ross Thomson, are at best apprehensive and at worst terrified of the prospect of Boris Johnson residing in No. 10.

He was wise to focus on the largely pro-Brexit fishing industry to promote his pseudo-Scottish identity and to appeal to Scottish Conservatives eager to grasp at any vehicle that may derail Boris Johnson’s imminent coronation as the new leader of the party.

However, those not of the Conservative persuasion may be of a different mind. The Scottish fishing industry makes up only 0.2 % of the overall Scottish economy and is hardly indicative of the current state of Scottish industry or business world in general.

Fear of Brexit has already resulted in economic casualties and the uncertainty continues with every passing day.

Significantly, however, Mr Hunt does not have to court Scottish public opinion in general to become Prime Minister. The photographs of him eating a fish supper and drinking a can of Irn Bru are, as Catriona Stewart points out, embarrassingly stereotypical as well as crass and patronising (“Irn- Bru is a symbol of Westminster’s Scottish disconnect”, The Herald, June 25)

A Brigadoon shortbread-tin vision of Scotland may sit well with Scottish Conservatives but only reminds the rest of us that our next Prime Minister will be decided by a small group of increasingly deluded and self-absorbed people who have nothing in common with ordinary people in Scotland.

Mr Hunt’s visit smacked of a condescending imperial master going through the motions to pacify the gullible, and, as Ms Stewart notes, failing miserably.

He will lose the leadership contest irrespective of what Boris Johnson says or does in the immediate future. Then the clamour for independence may well become irresistible.

Owen Kelly

Stirling

HAD I a vote in the Tory leadership race I would undoubtedly cast it for Jeremy Hunt. Not because of any pro- or anti-Brexit stance on his part but because at last we have a senior politician of either major party who will stand up to the grievance-peddling leaders of the SNP.

Earlier this summer Mr Hunt reportedly ‘’hit the roof’’ when he learned that on her recent visit to the US and Canada Nicola Sturgeon had spoken publicly in favour of breaking up the UK – the very entity that was paying for her and her huge entourage’s visit. As Foreign Secretary he made clear there would be no more co-ordinating of this kind of party political visit and arranging to meet foreign politicians. If the SNP want to promote their beliefs abroad then they should pay for it.

At last, someone not afraid to be honest and kowtow to nationalist pressure. More of the same, please.

Alexander McKay

Edinburgh

ON the BBC on Monday, June 24, I heard Jeremy Hunt promise to push Brexit through Westminster whilst accepting that the Scots would be unhappy if he did so. Later I read on the Herald’s front page that he “put British unity before Brexit.”

He also promised to avoid another general election because “it would be a disaster for us.” For us read ” the Tories.”Obviously, the minimal Scottish electorate means much less than the English Tory majority or the opportunity of the countries of the UK to select the next Prime Minister or government.

Bryce Drummond,

Kilmarnock

THOUGH not quite there yet, we in Scotland are almost at the point of deciding a future: stay with a UK which is increasingly fractious and unfocused, or take our leave. The best politicians of this Conservative generation compete to be Tory Leader and Prime Minister. Is anyone impressed? Personally I find the last two men left standing incredible and lacking in veracity. I wouldn’t want to go for a pint with either of them.

Yet one of them will lead the UK to an as-yet-undisclosed destination, including a Brexit that only 25.5% of the Scottish electorate voted for. Or there might be an election where all parties are small minorities; or a second EU referendum occurs and the future is a total guesstimate (the only constants being rain and midges).

So this is getting to the nub of things for Scots: being ruled by governments we don’t elect or ruling ourselves (in a dependent and interconnected world). If we do leave, London has refused to currency-share (a good thing, in my view). We will probably start with the “Norway Option” pending EU negotiations. I would like to think we maintain a good relationship with our neighbours—it is in both sides’ interests, but the ‘nose/spite/face’ calculation cannot be ruled out.

G.R. Weir, Ochiltree

DR Gerald Edwards (‘Can our youth rise above our elders?’ Herald Letters, June 24) accuses me of laying into Boris Johnson “when he has not even won yet”.

However, given the start he has made to his leadership campaign, I would suggest that Boris Johnson’s biggest problem when he has not even won yet is Boris Johnson.

Incredibly, Dr Edwards dismisses the prospect of the loss of 80,000 jobs due to a hard Brexit as “essentially meaningless,” but with regard to the use of statistics “as a political weapon”, may I point out to Dr Edwards that whatever statistical spin is applied within the present parliamentary system, the fact is that voters in Scotland voted strongly to remain within the EU in 2016, and last month voted for the pro-independence, pro-Europe SNP in 30 out of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.

And the latest statistic making the headlines is the opinion poll which suggests that 53 per cent of voters in Scotland would support independence if Mr Johnson becomes Prime Minister.

It would appear that I am not alone in my horror at the prospect of Mr Johnson bumbling his way into Downing Street, and the damage he could wreak upon Scotland.

Ruth Marr,

Stirling

SO Jeremy Hunt thinks that Boris Johnson avoiding the media is “cheating the country out of a proper contest.” Surely, 160,000 Tory Party members picking the next Prime Minister is the “cheat”.

We need an election now if democracy is to be upheld.

Bill Eadie,

Glasgow