A LEADING Tory MP has accused Nationalists of wanting to create "enmity" between Scotland and England.
Shadow education secretary Michael Gove claimed the SNP was refusing to face economic reality over the need for cuts and was using the looming general election to play a game of "divide and rule".
Visiting Wester Hailes, Mr Gove also dismissed t
he idea a Tory government with only a handful of Scottish MPs would have a questionable mandate north of the Border, arguing that Surrey has no Labour MPs but still works with Gordon Brown's government.
Mr Gove, who was born in Edinburgh and grew up in Aberdeen, claimed the Conservatives were again gaining support in Scotland.
He said: "The factors that used to exist in the 1980s which led people to move away from the Conservatives no longer exist.
"If after a general election we were fortunate enough to be in government, I don't think you would see any of the adverse reactions to that (which] the SNP wants to see.
"What the SNP is hoping for is an election and a government that will generate enmity between Scotland and England."
But Mr Gove insisted a Tory government at Westminster would treat Scotland with respect, David Cameron would visit Holyrood to be quizzed by MSPs and UK ministers would talk to their Holyrood opposite numbers.
"That determination to make the relationship work will mean the SNP will find the fear factor they are relying on won't materialise."
He said voters knew there needed to be a tightening of the belt across the UK and claimed any attempt by the SNP to use cuts to turn voters against a UK Tory government would fail.
He said: "I had hoped Alex Salmond and his team would show maturity in office – and, in some respects, one or two of their decisions have been good for Scotland – but they seem determined not to face up to the realities of the economic situation because they want to play this game of divide and rule."
Mr Gove was in Wester Hailes to campaign for Jason Rust, the Tory candidate for Edinburgh South West at the general election.
The Tories are widely expected to end up with no more than five MPs in Scotland, making it difficult for them to claim a mandate north of the Border.
But Mr Gove said: "I'm an MP for Surrey. There has never been a Labour MP in Surrey and I think there are only three Labour county councillors now. But Surrey County Council deals maturely with a Labour government that doesn't have a mandate in Surrey (or] the south-east of England.
"Scotland is a nation, it has a parliament and a devolved government and any UK government has to treat Scotland with a greater degree of respect than you would anywhere else within the UK.
"But we also recognise we are all part of the UK and the Westminster government has a responsibility to take decisions in the interests of the whole UK."
