THE SNP has been accused of undermining a plan by two Labour MPs to hold a binding public vote that could result in the UK staying in the European Union.
Nationalist MPs have been speaking to Labour’s Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson about their proposal, but the SNP is said to have concerns about the impact on a second independence referendum.
Ian Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh South, said: “This proposal is a compromise way to a public vote which I thought the SNP supported, albeit latterly. But, yet again, it’s all about independence for the SNP even at this critical stage.”
Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to secure changes to the draft withdrawal Brexit that MPs rejected last month, but if she fails MPs will be allowed to put forward alternatives.
One proposal by Kyle and Wilson is for Parliament to back May’s deal, conditional on there being a “confirmatory” vote, which would give the public a choice between May’s plan and remaining in the EU.
Unlike the first referendum, which was advisory, the result of a confirmatory vote would be binding and automatically go into statute.
The SNP supports another EU referendum, but it is understood the party has raised concerns about the Kyle/Wilson proposal.
A Labour source said the Nationalists were worried what would happen if a confirmatory vote resulted in another endorsement of Leave.
The insider said the SNP is anxious about the Scottish Parliament being bound by the decision and the impact on another independence referendum. Speaking to The Herald on Sunday, Kyle said: “I am in close touch with senior MPs from the SNP. I want this plan to embrace the whole of the House of Commons. At its very core, this plan is about compromise.
“It’s important for me that different parties can feel included in this and I have already had conversations with the SNP about this particular challenge.
“I understand this is an issue that has a practical and political importance for SNP colleagues. I don’t underestimate it.”
However, the issue has sparked a constitutional row in Scotland. Murray said: “The SNP are currently threatening to withhold support unless they are granted a second Scottish referendum to be written into law, in case Britain votes to confirm the PM’s deal.
“With less than 1,000 hours to go until Brexit this merely confirms that the SNP don’t want to stop or soften Brexit, but are using it as a lever to rip Scotland out of its most important union – the U.K. They have no care for the jobs and livelihoods of Scots. Their only care is their ideology of independence.”
- Paul Hutcheon: Nicola Sturgeon could get a gold medal for closed government
An SNP spokesperson responded: “Throughout this Brexit process, Labour have refused to work constructively with others – instead doing everything they can to avoid setting out any clear strategy.
“To top it off, on Thursday Labour MPs voted with the Tories against the SNP amendment to extend Article 50 and avoid an economic and constitutional crisis for Scotland.
“The polls are clear – Labour won’t be forgiven for siding with the Tories and failing to stand up for the interests of the Scottish people.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel