They don’t often agree, but Nicola Sturgeon and Kezia Dugdale have rounded on Theresa May, branding her vision for Brexit “ugly” and “toxic”.
The first minister yesterday described the direction of travel taken by the Conservatives as “appalling, regressive and hugely troubling”.
And she said the “repellent reality” of the Tories’ policies flew in the face of the prime minister’s claim to occupy the centre ground.
Picking up on the news Diane James had quit as Ukip leader after only 17 days, Ms Dugdale accused Mrs May of trying to fill the vacancy.
Criticism also came from the Liberal Democrats, with UK leader Tim Farron describing the Conservatives as “reckless, divisive and uncaring”.
And he said he was surprised the Tory leader had not taken time to thank Nigel Farage.
A growing row has developed during the course of the conference after Home Secretary Amber Rudd outlined proposals which could force firms to disclose what percentage of their workforce was non-British.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also came under fire for his announcement that more doctors will be trained to reduce NHS England’s reliance on immigrants.
And International Trade Secretary Liam Fox similarly provoked controversy when he described EU nationals living in the UK as one of the “main cards” in the Brexit negotiations.
Ms Sturgeon labelled the plan to “target foreign workers” the “most disgraceful display of reactionary right-wing politics in living memory”.
She added: “The prime minister has claimed she is seeking out the middle ground of politics – the repellent reality of the policies planned by her party could not be more different.
“Theresa May’s vision of Brexit Britain is a deeply ugly one – a country where people are judged not by their ability or their contribution to the common good, but by their birthplace or by their passport.
“It is a vision the Scottish Government wants no part of, and one we will never subscribe to.”
Ms Dugdale said the conference would go down as “one of the most disgusting spectacles in recent political history”, claiming the Tories were “morphing into Ukip”.
She also criticised Scottish Tory Leader Ruth Davidson, who she claimed was “clearly embarrassed” by her colleagues’ comments, but still willing to be Mrs May’s warm-up act.
And she added: “She [Davidson] is the face of a Conservative Party that is rotten to its core – a xenophobic and toxic party.”
