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Image source, Getty Images
Liz Truss said she would not back a second Scottish independence referendum if she becomes prime minister
Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss has claimed it is best to ignore "attention seeker" Nicola Sturgeon.
The foreign secretary criticised Scotland's first minister before ruling out a second independence referendum.
Speaking at a hustings event in Exeter, Ms Truss described herself as "a child of the Union", having spent some of her youth living in Paisley.
Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney said her comments were "completely and utterly unacceptable".
Talking to voters at the hustings event, Ms Truss said: "I really believe we're a family and we're better together."
Tory party members then cheered and applauded as she said: "I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is ignore her.
"She's an attention seeker, that's what she is.
"What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales what we're delivering for them and making sure that all of our government policies apply right across the United Kingdom."
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,Nicola Sturgeon was accused by Liz Truss of being an attention seeker
Ms Truss later replied "no, no, no" when asked about whether she would support another independence referendum in Scotland if she becomes prime minister.
Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that Scotland had been "ridden roughshod over" by the attitudes of the Conservative party over the last few years.
He cited the UK Internal Market Bill as an example of an "erosion" to democracy in Scotland.
He said: "When people are saying to us we would like our two governments to work more closely together, this comment from Liz Truss demonstrates what we are up against.
"I come across this frequently when I'm dealing with the UK government - a contempt for Scotland, a desire to belittle Scotland and not hear our voice.
"And if you don't believe me on this just listen to what Mark Drakeford, the Labour first minister of Wales, says - he says exactly the same thing about how Wales is treated."
John Swinney: "People in Scotland, whatever their politics, will be absolutely horrified by the obnoxious remarks."
However MSP Murdo Fraser of the Scottish Conservatives said he would ignore Mr Swinney's "manufactured outrage" on the issue.
He told the BBC that while he was not sure of the whole context of Ms Truss' remarks, he believed she was referring to Nicola Sturgeon's "incessant and increasingly tiresome demands" for another referendum.
He said: "Liz Truss is far more in tune on Scottish opinion on this issue than Nicola Sturgeon. I think Liz Truss is absolutely right to say this is not the time for another referendum.
"There are other priorities the Scottish government should be focussing on - not least the NHS, the appalling rate of drugs deaths, trying to rebuild our economy post-Covid."
Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak are vying to win over Conservative Party members, whose votes will determine which of them will become the next Tory leader and British prime minister.
Nine Scottish Conservative MSPs, including Murdo Fraser, Rachael Hamilton, Liam Kerr and Oliver Mundell, declared their support for Liz Truss on Monday.
Meanwhile 10 Conservative MSPs declared their support for Rishi Sunak in a joint letter in the Telegraph on Tuesday. They are Donald Cameron, Liz Smith, Miles Briggs, John Lamont, Andrew Bowie, Jackson Carlaw, Maurice Golden, Jeremy Balfour, Dean Lockhart and Alexander Stewart.
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