British PM May says preserving union a prime goal

LONDON – Prime Minister Theresa May has told her Conservative Party’s Scottish conference that preserving the unity of the United Kingdom is a key objective of her government.

She warned in Glasgow Friday that the Scottish National Party’s focus on gaining independence for Scotland had become an obsession.

The prime minister told her supporters that the SNP led by Nicola Sturgeon suffers from “tunnel-vision nationalism which focuses only on independence at any cost”.

Sturgeon has indicated she may push for a second referendum on Scottish independence because of Scottish opposition to Britain leaving the European Union. She says the May government has not listened to compromise proposals to maintain EU ties.

May said there is “no economic case for breaking up the United Kingdom.”

Scottish voters rejected independence in a 2014 referendum.

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