IAN Blackford has told the Prime Minister that the SNP’s ‘record breaking’ election result is a sign that Scots want a referendum.
The leader of the SNP’s Westminster Group told Boris Johnson and other MPs that they “cannot deny democracy” and must allow Scots to have a vote on the constitution.
Speaking in the debate following the Queen’s speech, the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber said he was putting the House of Commons “on notice”.
He said: “Well the people of Scotland have given the verdict…because the message is very clear that there is a mandate for an independence referendum.
“And let me put this house on notice that it's the people of Scotland, and our parliament, that will determine when that independence referendum will take place.”
He said that the SNP had vowed to give Scottish voters another poll, and as a result of the "electoral earthquake" last week, his party would deliver their promise.
Mr Blackford said: “We said to the people of Scotland to put us back into government again, allow us to lead the country through the pandemic.
"But the promise that we made to the people of Scotland was that if they voted for us in that election, if they delivered a majority for independence in the parliament, then nobody...not the Prime Minister...will stop the people of Scotland having their democratic choice. I say to him that he has to recognise what happened.”
Mr Blackford said the SNP had managed a record-breaking election win, securing “85 per cent of the constituencies, and 48% of the vote” last week.
He added the SNP’s result as “the highest number of constituencies ever won by any party, the highest share of the votes ever won by any party.”
Mr Blackford also accused Boris Johnson of disrespecting SNP MPs, adding: “Before the results had even been completed the prime minister himself told his favourite newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, that he would try to block a post-pandemic independence referendum.
“Today of all days, I would genuinely ask the Prime Minister and his government to think again.
“I know he's looking away and looking disinterested but this is important because this is about democracy, Prime Minister.
“This is about the rights of people. People will be watching this, and they can hear Conservative MPs laughing about our desire to make sure that democracy is delivered. That is the contempt that I have talked about.”
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