Sturgeon says rivals have run the ‘most negative campaign’

The SNP leader hit out as she made a last appeal for votes ahead of polling day on Thursday.

Sturgeon says rivals have run the ‘most negative campaign’ PA Media

Nicola Sturgeon has accused her rivals in Labour and the Tories of “running the most negative-based campaign in the history of devolution”.

The SNP leader made the comments as she prepared to travel the country on the final day of election campaigning.

Sturgeon will travel from Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland, down to Dumbarton on the west coast, ahead of Thursday’s “knife-edge” Holyrood poll.

While the SNP are certain to emerge again as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament when voting closes, Sturgeon is fighting hard in a bid to win an overall majority of MSPs – allowing her to make a further push to hold a second independence referendum.

Speaking on the final day of campaigning, she said: “The result of every Scottish Parliament election is always on a knife-edge, nothing can be taken for granted – so please don’t leave it to chance: make it both votes SNP.”

With Sturgeon having led the country through the coronavirus crisis so far, she insisted her party was the only one with an “immediate plan” for the remainder of the pandemic.

She also claimed her party was the only one “with a serious programme for government to kick-start economic recovery, to remobilise our NHS and to tackle the climate crisis”.

Hitting out at her rivals, the SNP leader said: “The London-based parties have fought the most negative campaign in the history of devolution with every one of them openly admitting they don’t want or expect to form a government.

“Instead they want to leave Scotland’s future in the hands of Boris Johnson.

“To avoid that risk I am asking the people of Scotland to re-elect me as First Minister so I can get on with the job of keeping Scotland safe and to lead the country to a better, brighter future.

“I’m ready to get back to work, to take the difficult decisions, and to put Scotland first.

“By giving both votes to the SNP tomorrow people will get experienced leadership, a serious programme for government and, when the Covid crisis is over, the right to decide whether Scotland should be an independent country.”

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