The SNP has said the Vote Leave takeover of Boris Johnson’s anti-independence campaign has spectacularly backfired and will “drive up support for independence”.

After Dominic Cummings’ arch-Brexiteer ally Oliver Lewis was installed as the new head of Downing Street’s ‘Union Unit’, Kirsten Oswald MP (pictured) said the decision showed Johnson is “completely clueless” about Scotland and raised questions over the use of public money.

Twenty consecutive polls have now shown a majority for independence in Scotland.

Commenting, SNP Westminster Deputy Leader Kirsten Oswald MP said:

“The Vote Leave takeover of Boris Johnson’s taxpayer-funded anti-independence campaign has spectacularly backfired – and will drive up support for independence even further.

“By installing Dominic Cummings’ Brexit apprentice as head of the so-called ‘union unit’ the Prime Minister is demonstrating, yet again, that he is completely clueless about Scotland.

“This botched Tory plot also raises serious questions over the misuse of taxpayer funds for political campaigning. It’s clear the Tories are using public money to build a party-political campaign team in the run-up to the Scottish Parliament elections.

“There must now be full transparency over how much is being spent and for what purpose.

“People in Scotland have the right to decide their own future.

“The issue at the election in May will be this: who has the right to decide what sort of country we should be after the pandemic – the people of Scotland or Boris Johnson?

“Scotland’s future should be in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson’s.”