Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord led his party's MSPs out of the Holyrood chamber on Tuesday evening after failing to have a debate on Scottish independence cancelled.
Offord had insisted the issue of IndyRef2 should not be debated by the Scottish Parliament as the matter is reserved to Westminster. However, Presiding Officer Kenny Gibson told the Reform leader: "This is a parliament and it's free to debate any issue it wishes."
Walkout branded a 'gross discourtesy'
Offord then branded the debate a "farce" and led his MSPs in a walkout, to jeers and laughter from members of other parties. Gibson later described the action as "a gross discourtesy to all members".
Offord, a former Tory peer, insisted: "This debate is not just a farce, it is an insult to the Scottish electorate who expect their politicians to deal with serious issues in their communities." He argued that Scots wanted to see MSPs dealing with "shocking" homelessness figures released earlier on Tuesday, the nation's public finances or drug deaths, with a further rise in these expected to be announced on Wednesday.
"These are the serious matters of Government," the Reform MSP said. "In contrast this debate is ill-judged, self-serving and wholly inappropriate. Reform won't engage further in these pointless proceedings. We didn't come into the Parliament to waste our time on vanity projects, and therefore I withdraw my amendment and we will exit from the chamber."
Motion passed by 84 votes to 18
The walkout came as MSPs debated a motion from John Swinney which declared: "Scotland is a nation that has a right to decide its own future." The motion was passed by 84 votes to 18, despite Prime Minister Andy Burnham having recently made clear another referendum is "off limits".
The Prime Minister had to pull back from comments he made in the Commons chamber, which appeared to suggest a second ballot on independence could be possible if Scots support one. Swinney claimed Burnham's opposition to another referendum "cannot hold".
The SNP leader added: "My party believes it is for the people of Scotland to decide when there is an independence referendum." Saying that Scotland needs the "fresh start" of independence, he told MSPs the "fundamental right to decide our nation's future remains".
Referencing the 2014 vote
Referring back to the 2014 referendum, where 55% of voters backed staying in the UK, Swinney said: "Just because a right has been exercised once does not mean it can never be exercised again. If the people of Scotland themselves want the opportunity to ask the question again, who has the right to stop them?"
"Scotland is a nation and its people have the right to decide their future. The UK is a voluntary union, which means its nations can stay part of it or they can choose their independence. These two things were once accepted right across the political spectrum in Scotland."
His comments were echoed by Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer, who insisted: "Our journey of self determination, our journey of national democracy, didn't end in 2014. Democracy isn't a one-off event." He added: "The public are not bound by a decision made in 2014 any more than this Parliament is bound by its predecessors."
Labour calls for focus on child poverty
New Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra said the Parliament's priority should be "getting back on track" with targets for tackling child poverty. An amendment from him called on Holyrood to reaffirm its commitment to child poverty targets, including the ambition to cut the number of youngsters living in relative poverty to less than 10% by 2030.
Marra said it was "disappointing, but not surprising the SNP has a different priority" to this. His comments came as he insisted Scotland "can be a fairer and stronger nation without being a separate state". He added: "I don't believe we have to risk our currency, our defence, our markets and our budgets to deliver a more equal and just Scotland."
