ALEX Salmond has said Scottish politicians shouldn’t try to topple the “worst Prime Minister in living memory” as he would only be replaced by a more formidable Tory.
Instead, Mr Salmond said the proper task should be to “remove all English Tory prime ministers from running our country” though independence.
Speaking in Edinburgh, the Alba party leader said the disarray at the top of the UK Government was an optimum time to push for independence.
In a dig at Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, the former First Minister said: “Why on Earth have we not been pushing the independence question?
“We will not get a better opportunity than to have the weakness at the very top of London’s Government and that weakness should be Scotland’s opportunity.”
Ms Sturgeon this week called for Mr Johnson to resign, but has said little about delivering independence other than saying she would do all she could in her power to pave the way.
New polling by YouGov for the Times shows the Prime Minister now has a net favourability rating of minus 77 in Scotland – the lowest of all four UK nations.
Conducted after details of more lockdown parties in Downing Street emerged, the poll found the Conservative Party had a net favourability of -64 compared to -17 for Labour.
READ MORE: Alex Salmond says keeping Boris Johnson in power 'Scotland's democratic opportunity'
Among the likely Tory challengers to succeed Mr Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak had a net favourability rating of -31 in Scotland, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was on -34 and Home Secretary Priti Patel was on -73.
Mr Salmond said: “It’s in Boris Johnson’s nature to have scandals. “The Tories know that so at some point this year they will get rid of him.
“But the question we should be asking is who comes next?
“It’s not the task of Alba and it shouldn’t be the task of any Scottish politicians to replace Boris Johnson with another Tory, particularly when that Tory will be more organised, more popular, more formidable and more ruthless than Boris Johnson.
“It’s our job to stop people like Boris Johnson governing Scotland, not to remove this Prime Minister but to remove all English Tory Prime Ministers from running our country.
“That is the task.
“We must ask ourselves that given the total disorganisation of people like Johnson and Michael Gove, and the the rest of them, why on Earth have we not been pushing the independence question? We will not get a better opportunity than to have the weakness at the very top of London’s Government and that weakness should be Scotland’s opportunity.
“It is the job of Alba, and it should be the job of all Scottish politicians, not just to defend Scotland from this Tory Prime Minister but against all Tory Prime Ministers.”
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