Boris is travelling to Scotland for his essential photo-op whilst Westminster-based Tories fret about the fate of the union if the SNP win a majority Scottish government. Not only is support for independence and the SNP high in Scotland, support for the union does not even command majority support with English Tory voters. When asked by YouGov how they would feel about Scotland leaving the union, by a narrow majority (49% to 48%), most said they would be pleased or not bothered. The importance of the union is very much a hobby horse of Tory leaders rather than ordinary Tory voters.

The arguments for the union advanced in England have little resonance, guff about being stronger together has no cut through, English voters quite rightly don’t believe England per se would be anyway diminished by Scotland becoming independent. Guido detects a growing feeling that if Scotland wants to go its own way, that’s fine, they can say goodbye to being subsidised by English taxpayers…