NICOLA STURGEON accused Prime Minister Theresa May of calling a general election in order to “crush dissent” and “escape prosecution for election fraud against 30 Tory MPs.”

Addressing the Scottish TUC Congress, the First Minister said Ms May’s actions were cynical, and that “she is seeking to strengthen her own hand in delivering the kind of Brexit she wants.”

Ms Sturgeon said that “whatever the result, nothing must stop us from holding the Tories accountable for whatever misdemeanours they may have committed to buy the last general election.”

The people of Scotland know that “there’s always a cost to voting Tory and the price in this election has never been higher,” she said, warning that a Tory victory will “make Scotland a poorer country and lead to a more unfair society.”

Ms Sturgeon reaffirmed her opposition on the controversial Trade Union Act, and pledged that the Scottish government would not comply with its provisions.

Ms Sturgeon also committed to supporting the STUC’s six key pledges for Brexit negotiations, which include a commitment to protecting the rights of EU nationals in Scotland.

“We can’t stand by and watch EU citizens deprived of their rights, and we can’t let the Tories shut the door on much-valued migrant workers,” she said, adding “it would be an act of economic vandalism.”