Scotland ‘has right to decide own future’, MSPs say

The Scottish Parliament has backed a motion stating that Scotland “has a right to decide its own future”.

It was backed by 84 MSPs to 18 against – after Reform MSPs walked out of the debate and refused to take part.

Reform leader Malcolm Offord first attempted to prevent the debate from happening, before dubbing it an “insult” to voters and leading his group out of the chamber.

The remaining five parties continued the debate for the rest of Tuesday afternoon, ultimately voting to approve a Green amendment acknowledging the majority of pro-independence MSPs and Labour amendment calling for more to be done on child poverty.

First Minister John Swinney led the debate on behalf of the government, arguing people in Scotland “have no recognised guaranteed way to vote for change” to the constitution, arguing that “cannot be right”.

He added: “What could be more divisive a proposition than saying to half the people of the country that there is no way, no matter how you vote or how often you do it, for you to make a change, for you even to be given the opportunity to make a change? That is the fundamental democratic point that parliament has before it today.”

The debate follows comments made by Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier this month, who said a referendum on Scottish independence was possible if a majority wanted one.

However, in a later clarification, Downing Street said Burnham was highlighting there was not enough to support to hold another vote and therefore it was “off limits”.

Swinney has written to the prime minister requesting a meeting to further discuss the matter, including whether a legal mechanism should be established.

Speaking in the chamber on Tuesday, the first minister said Burnham had so far been “unwilling” to attend such a meeting but that that position “cannot hold”.

Swinney went into the May election arguing that if his party won a majority, it would have a mandate to call a referendum. The SNP fell seven seats short of that.

Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie challenged the first minister on this in chamber, calling on him to “stick to his manifesto commitment that there’d be an SNP majority before he would demand another referendum”.

Swinney countered that the parliament now had the “largest number of members of the Scottish Parliament elected on a commitment to support independence”.

The SNP and Greens have a combined 73 MSPs.

Green co-leader Ross Greer also made the same argument, adding: “It is a very simple principle of parliamentary democracy that if you can secure a mandate in parliament, you can deliver on your agenda.”

Greer said he was “somewhat frustrated” the parliament had spent “too much time talking about process” rather than independence itself, and he challenged Unionist colleagues to “put something forward” on how Scots could secure another impendence referendum. “A strategy of denial is not credible,” he added.

Speaking against the Scottish Government’s position, Offord argued that the 2014 vote meant the matter had been “settled for a generation”. He accused the SNP of using “distraction and division” in attempt to firm up its own support, which he said had fallen to an “all-time low”.

Before the debate started, he raised a point of order and argued that it was “inappropriate to allow this debate on reserved matters”.

Presiding Officer Kenneth Gibson denied the attempt, stating that “parliaments are free to debate whatever subject they wish, including this one”.

Before exiting the chamber with his colleagues, Offord said: “This debate is not just a farce, it is an insult. It’s an insult to the Scottish electorate who expect politicians to deal with the serious issues in their communities… Reform won’t engage further in these pointless proceedings. We didn’t come into this parliament to waste our time on vanity projects, and therefore I withdraw my amendment and we will exit from the chamber.”

After the debate, Gibson described the move as a “gross discourtesy to all members of this chamber” as Reform had not objected to the debate during discussion at the parliamentary bureau nor when the timetable for the week was agreed in the chamber.

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay accused Reform of performing “silly stunts”.

He went on to describe the prospect of Scotland leaving the UK as “deeply dangerous and irresponsible”, and accused the SNP of having a “never-ending hissy fit over the result” in 2014.

Newly elected Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra called on the parliament to “recommit” to other priorities. His amendment, which was backed by parliament, called for child poverty to be made an “immediate national priority”.

On the substance of the debate, Marra said: “It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the SNP has a different priority. That priority isn’t really independence and frankly it is not even securing another referendum. This debate, the annual debate I believe, is about managing the first minister’s party, not leading the country.”