First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today warns a vote to leave the European Union risks placing Scotland at the mercy of the most reactionary Conservative Government in modern times.
Urging Scots to vote to stay in the EU, she describes the Leave campaign as an attempted coup by the right of the Tory party.
Scotland would be in the firing line from those who want to scrap workers’ rights and cut public spending the SNP leader, who has been accused of 'risking' a Brexit by criticising the Remain campaign, says.
Read more: FTSE-100 hammered amid mounting Brexit worries
But the Leave campaign yesterday insisted that there would be more money for the NHS and hard-pressed drivers if the UK left the EU.
Campaigners also pledged that all those who currently receive EU grants, such as farmers, would not lose out.
But opponents accused of the group writing cheques that only governments could guarantee.
Ms Sturgeon’s intervention comes after a series of polls suggest that the Leave campaign has a significant lead with just over a week.
Today Ms Sturgeon will say: “The time has come to brand the ‘Brexit’ campaign for what it is – a bid for a right-wing Tory takeover of the reins of power in the UK.
“The people leading the case for a vote to leave the EU are on the right of the Conservative Party and will take an ‘out’ vote as their signal to make their power grab complete.
“Make no mistake – a ‘Leave’ win would be a victory for politicians who actually believe George Osborne and David Cameron are moderates, and it would leave Scotland at their mercy.”
Read more: Alex Salmond - Brexit would prompt new Scottish independence vote
She warns that outside the protections offered by the EU “Scotland would be left vulnerable to the most right-wing Tory Government in modern history.”
The move would give a green light to those who want to scrap workers’ rights, employment protection and cut public spending, she said.
She adds that there should be no doubt in Scots minds, if Leave wins "then Scottish workers and family budgets will be in the firing line."
“Scotland needs to send as strong a message as possible that we reject this right-wing Tory agenda entirely – and the only way to do that is for people to vote in big numbers to stay in Europe"
Yesterday a TNS poll put the Leave campaign 7 points ahead on 47 per cent, with Remain on 40 per cent.
Overnight a YouGov poll also had Leave ahead by the same margin on 46 per cent , with Remain on 39 per cent.
Mounting fears of Brexit threw the London stock market into meltdown, with more than £30 billion wiped off the FTSE 100 Index, bringing the total lost in two days to £70bn.
Read more: Brexit will leave UK 'critically short' of workers, study says
Labour also appeared to hit the panic button with the party's deputy leader Tom Watson appealing to voters that if they backed Remain a future Labour government would try to abolish the rights of all EU workers to come to the UK.
Prominent Brexit campaigner Priti Patel insisted there would be "more than enough money" to continue funding the beneficiaries of EU grants
As well as more money for the NHS she said the priority of Leave campaigners would be to cut fuel duty.
Meanwhile, the European Union's top court ruled that the UK could could deny child benefit to foreigners who are not economically active.
Remain campaigners said that the decision showed that the UK already has the ability to crack down on so-called 'benefits tourism'.
But the Leave campaign said it was “absurd” that the UK had to engage in legal battles in Brussels.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage admitted he has "absolutely no idea" what will happen if Britain leaves the EU.
He also described any Leave campaigners who thought that the result was in the bag as “fools”.
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