Nicola Sturgeon to decry the rise of the Tory right

Nicola Sturgeon - credit David Anderson/Holyrood

Nicola Sturgeon will open SNP conference with a warning the right wing of the Conservative party has "hijacked" the debate on leaving the European Union.

Any legislation on Brexit which will come before the House of Commons will be opposed by SNP MPs, she is expected to pledge.

Her opening remarks will launch the party's three-day conference at the SECC, which is expected to be attended by over 3,000 members.

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She will say: "Make no mistake - the right wing of the Tory party is now in the ascendancy and it is seeking to hijack the referendum result. Brexit has become Tory Brexit.

"They are using it as licence for the xenophobia that has long lain under the surface - but which is now in full view.

"They are holding it up as cover for a hard Brexit that they have no mandate for - but which they are determined to impose, regardless of the ruinous consequences.

"I suspect that many of those who voted to leave now look at the actions and rhetoric of the Tories and think 'that's not what I voted for'."

At yesterday's Prime Minister's Questions Theresa May was attacked for pandering to right-wing nationalists in her own party. SNP Commons leader Angus Robertson said: "The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance has found a “number of areas of concern” over political discourse and hate speech in the UK, as well as violent racial and religious attacks. Police statistics have shown a sharp rise in Islamophobic, anti-semitic and xenophobic assaults over the past year."

Robertson is among four candidates to be deputy leader of the SNP, the result of which will be announced at conference this morning.