General Election 2017: Theresa May called election to 'destroy' Sturgeon
Just minutes after the Prime Minster announced her bid for a June 8 General Election it emerged that the move was a clear bid to take on the SNP and snuff out the distracting demands for the so-called IndyRef2. It is understood that Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative Leader, personally helped persuade the Prime Minister that she could cause real damage to Miss Sturgeon north of the border by calling a snap poll and making it a "referendum on another referendum". If the SNP loses seats in Westminster it would seriously undermine Miss Sturgeon's claim on power in Scotland, where her party has no overall majority.
Even deputy leader of the Scottish National Party Angus Robertson immediately saw the forthcoming election as a straight battle between the SNP and the Tories north of the border. He tweeted: “Whatever happened to 'now is not the time'? UK General Election: 8th June. Straight choice in Scotland between @theSNP and Tories. #VoteSNP". And a clearly rattled Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland “needed to be protected from the Tory Party”.
GETTY Theresa May could destroy Nicola Sturgeon's bid for a second independence referendum in Scotland
Britain’s decision to leave the European Union was the trigger for Miss Sturgeon to demand another vote on Scottish independence – despite the claim by former SNP leader Alex Salmond that the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation opportunity.
I think she is a more divisive figure than she once was Ruth Davidson
Miss Sturgeon claimed most Scots did not want to leave the EU and thus a second IndyRef2 vote was needed. Mrs May however ruled out the possibility, viewing the whole issue as a distraction from the main business of Brexit. The timing of the June 8 election is shrewd – in the last general election the SNP recorded a historic landslide victory in Scotland, winning 56 out of 59 seats. But both Nicola Sturgeon’s popularity and the strength of the SNP has waned and few pundits believe the feat will be repeated.
Politicians react as Theresa May calls snap general election on June 8 Tue, April 18, 2017 UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced her intention to hold an early general election on June 8 Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 5 Theresa May has called for a snap general election
GETTY Ruth Davidson said she is confident of securing even more seats for the Scottish Conservatives
At the same time Tory strength in Scotland has been growing. Tory Scottish Leader Ruth Davidson said most Scots feel “hurt, angry and let down” by Nicola Sturgeon's renewed push for a rerun of the 2014 vote, when there was a resounding majority in favour of staying in the UK. Miss Davidson more than doubled the number of MSPs in last year's Holyrood election and said she was confident of securing her party's best ever performance.
GETTY Nicola Sturgeon's SNP has lost popularity in Scotland
She said Nicola Sturgeon's popularity was on the wane because of her renewed push for independence and added: “I think she is a more divisive figure than she once was. “There are a lot of people that wanted to give Nicola Sturgeon a chance who had found Alex Salmond quite divisive and wanted Scotland to move on, because we were promised that if we made a decision it would be respected by all sides and we could move on. “Now that they find her dragging us back to a place the majority of Scots don't want us to go they feel hurt, angry and let down.”
GETTY The Prime Minister wants a general election to be held on June 8