Scottish Conservative MSPs staged a dramatic walkout from the Holyrood chamber on Wednesday in protest after a Scottish Government minister refused to withdraw her description of pro-UK politicians as "traitors".
The extraordinary scenes unfolded during First Minister's Questions when Tory leader Douglas Ross demanded Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur retract the inflammatory remark made earlier this week. When Mr Arthur declined to apologise on behalf of the government, the entire Scottish Conservative contingent rose and exited the debating chamber in a coordinated protest.
The controversy stems from comments made by SNP MSP Emma Harper during a debate on Tuesday, where she stated: "We know that the people of Scotland want independence - it's just the traitors in this chamber that don't want independence."
Mr Ross condemned the language as "disgraceful" and demanded First Minister Humza Yousaf take action. "This is the language of extremists," Mr Ross declared from the chamber. "Will the First Minister take the opportunity now to apologise on behalf of his minister and withdraw that comment?"
When the presiding officer directed the question to Mr Arthur, who was representing the government, the minister responded: "I'm not going to apologise for the comments of a backbench MSP."
This refusal triggered the immediate walkout by Scottish Tory politicians, leaving government ministers and opposition MSPs watching in stunned silence.
Political analysts have described the incident as one of the most dramatic confrontations in recent Holyrood history, highlighting the increasingly fractious nature of Scottish politics following the SNP's leadership transition and ongoing constitutional debates.
