JACKSON Carlaw has insisted he is not embarrassed by Boris Johnson after failing to mention him once by name in a speech to party activists.

The Scottish Tory leader mentioned SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon 11 times and Jeremy Corbyn 12 times in his 15-minute address in Edinburgh.

Mr Carlaw later downplayed whether a vote for the Scottish Tories meant a vote for five years of Mr Johnson in Number 10, saying: “Prime Ministers come and go.”

He also urged Mr Johnson to agree to be interviewed by the BBC’s Andrew Neil.

"I certainly wouldn’t be afraid of being interviewed by Andrew Neil," he said.

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Research for the Times today found 70 per cent of Scottish voters distrust Mr Johnson.

In his speech, Mr Carlaw played up the prospect of Ms Sturgeon propping up a minority Labour government in return for a second independence referendum in 2020.

Appealing to pro-Union voters of all backgrounds to lend the Scottish Tories their vote, he urged Scotland not to “sleepwalk into disaster over this week to come”.

He said: “We must instead act to stop Indyref2, to stop Scotland going back to more division, and to let our country move on”.

Referring to Ms Sturgeon’s plan to request the power for Indyref2 by Christmas, he concluded: “I urge every Scot who cares deeply about Scotland, everyone who wants our children to have the opportunity to have a decent education, everyone who thinks sick kids should be healed not put at risk, everyone who thinks we should have the chance of a good job to make the best of ourselves, to send the message No to Indyref2.

“With the SNP obsessed and the Labour Party indifferent, the only way to do that is to vote for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party. For the sake of Scotland, lend us your vote.

“When Nicola Sturgeon sends her letter, let’s ensure we have a Prime Minister who will mark it clearly return to sender.”

Talking to the media later, Mr Carlaw criticised Ms Sturgeon for appearing to downplay independence and talking up Brexit instead to woo voters.

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“We’ve seen countless SNP leaflets in this campaign that have made no mention of independence. Yes, we know Nicola Sturgeon wants that second independence referendum, but I think it’s striking that when they actually go to the doors of voters, talking about independence is not the thing they’re doing.

“The thing they are doing is seeking to use Brexit if they can to to secure more votes, and then use those votes to demand that independence referendum.

“So yes I think there’s a real risk. If Jeremy Corby by any chance is Prime Minister he will sell out Scotland to secure that position.”

He was then challenged about his omission of Mr Johnson from his speech.

Asked whether a vote for Scottish Conservatives a vote for five years of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, he said: “Well, it’s five years of a Conservative government. Prime Ministers come and go.”

Asked the same question again, he said: “Unless Boris Johnson decides otherwise, then yes he would be the Prime Minister.”

Asked why he had then not mentioned Boris Johnson by name a single time in his speech, he said: “I mentioned ‘the Prime Minister’.”

Asked if he was embarrassed because Mr Johnson was divisive on the doorstep, Mr Carlaw replied: “I am not embarrassed by the Prime Minister at all. I’ve said repeatedly, and I said on television, that I’m judging the Prime Minister by his record as Prime Minister.

“As far as I’m concerned he has delivered on the things I asked him to do.

"He’s put the Union at the heart of this campaign and he’s other key Scottish concerns at the heart of this manifesto.”

Tommy Sheppard, the SNP candidate for Edinburgh East, said: "Jackson Carlaw can’t even bring himself to mention Boris Johnson but he is more than happy with the people of Scotland to be stuck with him for the next five years - with all the economic and social damage that will bring through Brexit and continued Tory austerity.

“At this election the SNP is the main challenger in every Tory-held seat in Scotland, and only a vote for the SNP is a vote to escape Brexit, lock Boris Johnson out of Downing Street, and to put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.”