Political heavy hitters to go on tour in bid to stop a UK split

POLITICAL big beasts Ruth Davidson and Arlene Foster are set to go on tour – to stop the nation breaking up.

Ex-Brexit kingmaker Dame Arlene and the former Scots Tory leader are set to trapse up and down the nation to highlight benefits of staying together.

Alamy

PA

Sources close to the tour say they hope to shift the limelight away from Scots Nationist Nicola Sturgeon who gets all the media attention.

Ex-DUP chief Dame Arlene will lead the charge making appearances in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A source said: “Arlene will hit the road with the likes of Ruth and show people what the union means.

“For too long it’s been the Nicola Sturgeon show, and it’s time to get people talking about what is so good about the union of four great nations.”

The SNP north of the border hope to force a second referendum over their independence.

They are trying to force Westminster to recognise a new border poll through the courts.

And the DUP fear there may be growing calls for a border poll in Northern Ireland after nationalists Sinn Fein won the most seats in recent Stormont elections.

The former first minister who resigned as DUP leader a year ago after a coup led by fellow DUPer Edwin Poots said last month she had left the party and was “advocating on behalf of the union now in a non-party political way”.

Last month she said would be working to “allow people to know why the union is something that will exist into the future, is economically, politically, socially, culturally, better to be in the United Kingdom – and I’ll continue to put a positive case for the union wherever I am.”