Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart vows to 'union-proof' UK Government policy

He said: “I think England without the Highlands, Scotland without London, is a place that is missing opportunity.”

Mr Stewart made the comments as he visited Edinburgh as part of a social media-fuelled tour of the country.

The MP for Penrith has emerged as one of the unlikely stars in the battle to replace Theresa May as Tory leader.

Speaking to journalists, he repeated his call for a new “Secretary of State for the Union” to be created as a “much stronger” alternative to the Scottish Secretary.

He said: “One way of making it stronger, very concretely, is to make sure that the current European funds, which amount to two or three billion a year, are controlled by that individual, that women or that man.

“And I would want to make sure that it’s not just the funds, but that it’s a very senior, heavy-hitting figure in Government, who is able to union-proof every policy that goes through the UK Government, to make sure that it really works for Scotland.

“I’ve noticed again and again that we are, as a country, often less than the sum of our parts; instead of harnessing all the energy of Scotland, England – and indeed within England, the north and the south – we somehow reduce ourselves."

He added: “There’s a lot we can do, in a friendly way, to learn from each other. But getting that union bit right, which is about money, status, coordination, is the key to that.”

Mr Stewart, whose family home is near Crieff in Perthshire, previously indicated he would not give Scotland the power to hold another independence referendum.

Asked how he would negotiate with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over the issue, he said: “I would say to her, firstly, that she and Alex Salmond sat down and, to my memory at least, said this was going to be a once in a generation event, and that I trust her, and when she said that I’m sure she meant it.

“Secondly I would say that the one thing we have learnt from the last two referendums is they don’t really tell you anything you didn’t know already.

“What they tend to tell you is that a country is split down the middle on an issue.”

He added: “The problem with referendums is that they are divisive and they solve nothing.

“You’ve got to get beyond that choice in a divided society into - what are you trying to solve here?

“What is your vision for Scotland? What is your economic policy for Scotland? What is your taxation policy for Scotland? How do we make a better, fairer society?

“And I suspect, if you pose the question that way, the answer is almost never putting up a new border.”

He said: “In the end in our lives, we need to accept that we have more in common than divides us.

“And that’s why I’m so proud to be part of the UK, proud of being in a country where I can be proud to be a Scot and sit in the UK Parliament representing an English constituency.”

Elsewhere, Mr Stewart repeated his warning that a no-deal Brexit would be damaging and risked creating more uncertainty and delay.

He said the experience of referendums in the UK has been “deeply, deeply divisive”.

The MP’s bid for the top job has grabbed attention through his unusual country-wide walkabout to meet voters.

Meanwhile, his colourful life before entering politics has also attracted headlines.

Earlier this week, he apologised for smoking opium in Iran more than decade ago while travelling through the region.

Mr Stewart is a former tutor to princes William and Harry and previously served as a governor in Iraq.