A FORMER Scottish Tory spin doctor has admitted that Westminster is pushing Scotland towards independence.

Eddie Barnes, who until recently served as the party’s top communications director, wrote in the Sunday Times that it is “hard to avoid the fact that Scotland already feels independent”.

He pointed the finger of blame at Westminster.

“Over the past decade, barring a few heroic lone voices, the Westminster village has only had two gears when it comes to Scotland: complacency and panic,” Barnes wrote.

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SNP deputy Westminster leader Kirsty Blackman responded to the comments.

She said: “It is highly revealing that even former top Scottish Tory figures have accepted the reality that Westminster is not acting in Scotland’s interests and is pushing Scotland towards independence.

“It’s no secret that time and time again, Westminster Tory governments disregard and side-line Scotland’s voice and interests – dragging Scotland out of the EU against our will, austerity and cutting Scotland’s budget, harming people’s livelihoods through its regressive welfare policies, and using our vital industries as bargaining chips in its race to the bottom trade talks.”

Blackman also pointed out that recent polls show the majority of Scots want indyref2. She added: “The people of Scotland must have the choice over a better future than the broken Westminster system imposed on us against our will – and that decision lies solely with the people of Scotland.”

The UK Government rejected Barnes’s contentions. A spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has been clear that the Union will be at the heart of everything we do, and that Scottish voices will be heard loudly and clearly across government.”