Why Boris Johnson will struggle to save the union

Whatever Scots personally feel about the PM, his role in the Brexit campaign causes real problems for his attempts to promote unity, though not perhaps for the reasons you might think, writes Kate Devlin

Supporters of Boris north of the border say the antagonism towards him is overplayed (AFP/Getty)

Reports of Boris Johnson’s toxicity in Scotland may be exaggerated, but his Brexit history will make it harder for him, or any government led by him, to make the case to save the union.  

Firstly, though, the matter of his personal brand cannot be avoided.  

Famously, during the Tory leadership campaign a group of Scottish Tory MPs launched an “anyone-but-Boris” campaign dubbed “Operation Arse”. Why Operation Arse, you ask? Well, it was so that it was immediately obvious who they were talking about, apparently.