SNP in drive to target soft No voters

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

THE SNP’s bid to try and persuade ‘No’ voters to back independence will get underway this week.

Nicola Sturgeon said in March her party would have a summer drive in the form of a national listening exercise to try and win over so-called “soft No voters”.

But the move was delayed following the Brexit vote and it is still not clear what format it will take.

A party spokesman confirmed the initiative would get under way before the end of Holyrood’s summer recess a week today.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservatives are calling on Nicola Sturgeon to ditch her focus on independence or risk becoming Scotland’s “wreckers”.

Ruth Davidson (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)

Party leader Ruth Davidson said: “Everything we have seen this summer demonstrates we have a Scottish Government which will put its independence obsession before the day job.

“In the aftermath of the EU referendum, we now need a Scottish Government which is prepared to put stability first.

“Instead we have a First Minister doubling down on division by threatening yet another referendum.

“The SNP has choice – to be Scotland’s builders or Scotland’s wreckers. To look to the future, or to take us back to the battles of the past.”

“It is high time we had a Scottish Government that acted for all of us, not just its own narrow interests.”

SNP must acknowledge potential downsides of independence to win over No voters, says Angus Robertson