TORY candidate David Mundell has said that even with an SNP majority in Scotland, a second independence referendum would not be legitimate. 

Speaking at the Eskdale Hotel, in Langholm, earlier this month the former Secretary of State for Scotland was asked if the SNP would have the legitimacy to hold a second referendum, if they acquired a majority of the Scottish seats up for grabs in the general election on December 12. 

He replied: “No. We’ve had an independence referendum in 2014, on the basis that that was to be a once in a generation, even once in a lifetime, event. 

“Ever since that event, almost from the day after, has been campaigning for another independence referendum, despite the fact that she signed an agreement that she would respect the result of it. 

“The SNP already have a majority of MPs in Scotland, I don’t regard that as the test. The position is very clear, we’ve had one, it produced a decisive result, it was to be a once in a generation result and that’s where the matter should rest.”

Mundell is standing in the constituency of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, which he has held since its creation in 2005. 

During that parliament, he served under David Cameron’s opposition as the Shadow Scottish Secretary, however, when Cameron became prime minister as part of the 2010 coalition government, the role of Secretary of State for Scotland was given to the Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael. 

When re-elected as part of the Conservative’s 2015 majority government, Mundell was finally made Scottish Secretary, which he held through the next general election, in 2017, until he was dismissed by Boris Johnston following this year’s Tory leadership contest. 

After spending Tuesday morning campaigning in Canonbie, just two miles from the English border, Mundell was asked whether his constituents would prefer to live in an independent Scotland, in the EU, or in the UK under Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement. 

He said: “I’m very clear, my constituents voted overwhelmingly to remain in the United Kingdom in the 2014 referendum which they were told would be a once in a generation referendum, so people here, and across Scotland, chose to remain within the UK, and the vote that we had in 2016 was a UK-wide vote. 

“Different communities voted differently. I can point to constituencies within this community which voted to remain in the EU, and communities which voted to leave the EU, but we didn’t do it on a community by community, or a council by council, or nation by nation, we did it by a United Kingdom vote. 

“I’m quite clear that the vote across the UK was to leave. I think most people across Scotland who voted remain respect that and therefore want to see the UK leave, but people are frustrated by the fact we haven’t been able to do that. 

“But just as in 2014, those people who voted for an independent Scotland aren’t able to tell us how an independent Scotland would actually be in the EU, because the EU have not made it clear that it would be automatic for Scotland to get into the EU if it were independent and I think that’s something that they failed to answer in 2014 and have still failed to answer.”

Mundell’s confirmed opponents are the Liberal Democrats’ John Ferry, the SNP’s Amanda Burgauer, and the Labour Party’s Nick Chisholm.