Hunt and Johnson 'out of touch' with Scotland, Sturgeon says - BBC News
Nicola Sturgeon says the Tory leadership race proves Scotland is on a "different political path".
Nicola Sturgeon discussed the Tory leadership race during a trip to the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh

The Conservative party leadership race proves that Scotland is on a "different political path" to the rest of the UK, according to Scotland's first minister.

Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson are going head-to-head to become the next Tory leader and prime minister.

Both men say they are prepared to leave the European Union without a deal.

At the Royal Highland Show, Nicola Sturgeon told BBC Scotland both candidates were "out of touch" with mainstream opinion in Scotland.

Supporters of both Mr Hunt, the foreign secretary, and former London mayor Mr Johnson say they will unite the country.

The pair won the most support in the final round of voting among Tory MPs on Thursday, which saw Environment Secretary Michael Gove eliminated.

They will now both go to a ballot of the wider membership of the Conservative party.

Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt took part in the BBC leaders debate

Ms Sturgeon said the leadership contest - which has been dominated by discussions on Brexit - highlighted stark differences between Scotland and the UK on the issue.

A total of 51.9% of UK voters opted to leave in the EU referendum in 2016, but the figure was much lower in Scotland where only 38% voted in favour of Brexit.

Ms Sturgeon described both leadership rivals as "hard line Brexiteers" and warned that the risk of a "catastrophic no deal" was increasing.

But she said the Scottish government would do "everything in our power" to avoid it.

"I think most people in Scotland will be looking at the Tory leadership election and wondering how it's possible for a political establishment at Westminster to be so out of touch with mainstream opinion in Scotland," she told BBC Scotland.

She added: "There's a growing sense in having a hard line Brexiteer, whether its Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt as prime minister, further illustrates that Scotland and the rest of the UK are on different political paths with different political priorities,

"Of course, there will be differences of opinion in what we should do about that.

"But surely it should be for Scotland to choose and decide which path we want to take - continue to be taken down the Westminster path, removed from the European Union, with someone like Boris Johnson as prime minister and all that entails, or the ability to become an independent European nation, co-operating with the rest of the UK but also being able to contribute in Europe and beyond.

"That's a choice that shouldn't be imposed on Scotland but one for us to make."

The first minister said she was reassuring the agricultural sector that the Scottish government would "redouble its efforts" to avoid a no deal Brexit

Last month, Ms Sturgeon said she wanted to hold another referendum on Scottish independence in the second half of next year.

However, Conservative MP Colin Clark, who is backing Mr Johnson in the leadership race, said the former foreign secretary could bring the UK together after a turbulent period in politics.

He said Mr Johnson would "deliver on Brexit" by 31 October, "for the sake of business, farming and the rest of the economy".

The MP for Gordon added: "Boris is a proven entity when he was mayor of London, a city of nine or 10 million people.

"He brings people together. He's brought 160 Conservative MPs together.

"What we want to see him do is bring the country together and I truly believe that Boris Johnson, as prime minister, is the right man to create a cabinet to bring the country back together."

MP for Gordon, Colin Clark, was vocal in his support for Boris Johnson during a visit to the Royal Highland Show

Meanwhile, John Lamont, the MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, who was one of eight MPs to nominate Jeremy Hunt at the start of the campaign, reiterated his support for the minister.

"His pragmatic approach and his background in business means he is the only candidate who can negotiate with the EU and our own parliament to get Brexit delivered," he said.

"He is clear that he is prepared to walk away from the EU if no deal can be found, but that he would work hard to get a better deal for this country."

Mr Hunt has spent a lot of time in Scotland and understands the issues facing people in the Borders, he added.

"His plans to kick-start our economy by lowering taxes would bring jobs and investment to the Borders," he added. "He also has some really radical plans about how we need to get better at championing and strengthening our United Kingdom."