ENGLISH Tory voters see Scottish independence as a price worth paying if it means getting out Europe stunning new research reveals

A study, by academics at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cardiff, found that self-professed Conservative and Unionists voters don’t actually care about the Union.

According to the paper, 79% of English Tories would support Scottish independence if it meant leaving the EU, compared to 28% of English Labour voters.

More surprisingly, 75% of English Tories would support the collapse of the Northern Ireland peace process as the price of Brexit.

Perhaps most alarmingly 87% of Leave voters in Northern Ireland would also be content with the collapse of the peace process as an acceptable price for Brexit.

The polling for the universities also found that 49% of English Tory voters don’t think Scottish MPs should sit in the UK Cabinet.

David Mundell can’t even rely on his own countrypeople to back him, as 24% of Scottish Tories also don’t want Scots MPs in the Cabinet.

The research, some of which was presented at last week’s Tory Party Conference, is drawn from the annual Future of England Survey.

Ailsa Henderson, Professor of Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The data suggest that, in the pursuit of Brexit, Leave supporters across the UK would be relaxed about a fundamental transformation of the Union but this attitude is not confined exclusively to Leave voters.

“There is also evidence that Brexit is dislodging long-held red lines about the Union. If even Unionists in Northern Ireland care less about the territorial integrity of the UK than pursuing Brexit, then it really raises questions about the type of union we’re in, and indeed what Unionism means.

“At the same time, voters, including Leave voters, want ongoing policy conformity between the EU and the UK on everything apart from immigration. To any outsider it must look as the Conservative and Unionist Government is prepared to rip up the UK constitution because its supporters wish to stop migration from the EU. Some might consider that a curious interpretation of Unionism.”

Wyn Jones, a professor of Welsh Politics at Cardiff University said: “An overwhelming majority of Conservative voters in England would prefer to see Scotland become independent and a breakdown of the peace process in Northern Ireland rather than compromise on their support for Brexit. But it’s not just Brexit. Half of English Conservative supporters want to stop Scottish MPs from sitting in the British cabinet altogether.

“The bonds that have tied the Union together have frayed to such an extent that, frankly, it’s hard to imagine that the proposed festival of ‘national renewal’ is going to do anything more than emphasise the extent to which we continue to drift apart.”

SNP MSP Rona Mackay said she wasn’t hugely surprised by the report findings: “In 2014 we were told that Scotland would lead the UK if we voted No – but now we see that increasingly the Tories do not want Scotland’s voice to be heard at all. The truth is the Tories think they can do whatever they want to Scotland”.