Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has claimed the spectre of the independence referendum is well and truly hanging over the general election campaign.
She said she had hoped the issue had been parked last September and people could move forward together regardless of the result but that was not the case.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has gone to great lengths to try and persuade SNP supporters that the contest on May 7 was about strengthening Scotland’s voice at Westminster, not separation, but Ms Davidson claimed the attempt had failed.
Speaking at a street stall in Edinburgh yesterday, the Tory leader said: “I think there are echoes of the referendum very strongly in this election campaign.
“I had hoped this would be over in September, I wanted the decision to be made, yes or no, and for the country to move forward together but that has not happened.
“We have a first minister dodging questions about whether she is going to put further referenda into future manifestos and how soon.
“The white paper of the Scottish Government promised it would be once in a generation.
“I think if you are a SNP voter, who voted no, you have a dilemma on your hands.”
Ms Davidson said she regularly meets members of the public who are “scared” for the future of the UK if the SNP makes substantial gains at Westminster.
“The reason I think it is worrying is because everything the SNP does is to bring independence closer,” she added.
“You have Nicola Sturgeon on national television saying my offer is to put Ed Miliband in as the prime minister of this country.
“My question to people at home is do they think she wants Ed Miliband because that would bring independence closer or further away?”
Ms Davidson said many people in Aberdeen – a city represented by Labour at Westminster which rejected independence – were confused about who to vote for.
“It was a reasonable sized no vote but a lot of people are looking at the landscape and going ‘wait a minute, what do I do here,” she added.
“They are thinking ‘maybe I don’t want the SNP, I do not want independence but the Labour Party are going to do a deal with the SNP’.”
Ms Davidson said the Tories would always stand up for the UK.