BORIS Johnson will swat away the SNP midges  - and any second independence referendum, three Scottish MPs have claimed.

North-East Tories Colin Clark, Ross Thomson and Douglas Ross in a joint column in today's Daily Telegraph have hailed the Conservative leadership frontrunner as a "passionate and committed unionist'.

They wrote: "In Scotland, the SNP's never-ending calls for indyref2 have become the never-ending background noise of a midge loose in the room.

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"Boris is the candidate who has been clear that more referendums - on either the EU or independence are not on the cards. In doing so he will help swat the SNP."

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The column from Mr Clark, Mr Thomson and Mr Ross made no reference to a  poll at the weekend which suggested a Johnson premiership would be enough to flip support for independence from 49% to a narrow majority. Nor did they mention concerns over Mr Johnson's private life after police were called to his girlfriend's flat following a domestic disturbance.

Mr Johnson - before he can swat away that SNP midge - must defeat Tory rival, Jeremy Hunt. And the current Foreign Secretary insisted preserving the Union between Scotland and the rest of the UK comes ahead of delivering Brexit in his list of priorities. 

READ MORE: Majority would back Scottish independence if Boris becomes PM, poll suggests

Mr Hunt said he will support the Union “with every drop of blood” in his veins.

It comes after a poll showed 63 per cent of Tory members would be happy to see Scotland split from the UK as the price of securing Brexit.

The Herald:

Today's Camley Cartoon in The Herald

Choosing Mr Johnson as prime minister would be disastrous for the Conservatives, particularly in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Scotland’s First Minister said that Mr Johnson was seen as one of the principal people responsible for the Brexit “mess” by those living north of the border, where 62% voted Remain in the 2016 EU referendum.

She said that the case for independence is “stronger than it has ever been” and said she is confident the SNP would win a referendum on the issue.

Social media commentators, meanwhile, felt the three Tory MPs may have underestimated how hard it is to swat midges.