UKIP’s Scottish branch has said its new mission in the wake of Brexit will be to abolish Holyrood - by first getting elected to it.

The party said it wanted to make a “proper Unionist case” for reverting to the pre-devolution status of 72 MPs in Scotland and the country “governed exclusively” from London.

It cited a recent Survation poll showing 16 per cent of Scots favour scrapping Holyrood and 13% think it should have fewer powers.

It said: “There is no current political party in Scotland making a proper Unionist case which, in our view, means a return to the pre-1999 position with Scotland... governed exclusively by The House of Commons.

“UKIP intends to fill this political gap by fielding candidates in each of the eight Regional Lists at the May 2021 Holyrood election in the hope of gaining in each case the 6% or so proportion of the vote which would lead to the election of an MSP.

“For too long the Nationalists and phoney Unionists have dominated the Scottish political scene.”

SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “It's absurd that the key message UKIP would take from a poll - which finds an overwhelming majority of Scots backing a second referendum being decided at Holyrood - is to abolish Scotland's national Parliament.



"Rolling back on devolution is a ridiculous proposition that no serious politician would entertain. The suggestion shows exactly why UKIP has no elected representatives in Scotland."

Despite past success under Nigel Farage in England and Wales, before he led the Brexit Party, Ukip has only had one person elected in Scotland.

David Coburn became Scotland’s first and only UKIP MEP in 2014, but later resigned amid the party's interminable infighting.

He was replaced in 2019 by Brexit Party MEP Louis Stedman-Bryce, who also quit his party.

UKIP Scotland is led by Donald MacKay, who won 0.4% of the vote in East Dunbartonshire in the recent general election.