THE two Alba MPs who were removed from the Commons for staging an independence protest at the start of PMQs have explained why they caused the disruption.
Lindsay Hoyle grew furious with Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey, who are both formerly SNP representatives, as they refused to sit down and stop speaking at the beginning of the session.
East Lothian MP and former justice secretary MacAskill could be heard saying: “We need a referendum.”
Hoyle said he would not tolerate their behaviour, and as they kept going he told the Serjeant-at-arms to escort them out of the Chamber.
The pair also sent a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressing their anger over his rejection of a Section 30 order, which came as his government fell apart last week.
Speaking to STV as the party’s general-secretary Chris McEleny applauded behind them, MacAskill said: “Well, it’s a democratic outrage.
Two @AlbaParty MPs were kicked out of the chamber for protesting about Boris Johnson blocking another independence referendum just ahead of #pmqs I caught up with Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey straight after the Speaker booted them out... pic.twitter.com/PwDinFlfCw
— kathryn samson (@STVKathryn) July 13, 2022
“We have a mandate for a referendum in Scotland, this is a Prime Minister who is distorting parliamentary democracy, who is denying Scotland its legitimate right to a referendum and at the same time … Scotland is an energy-rich country and over half our people are going to be facing fuel poverty.
“It’s time Scotland had the right to determine its own future rather than having a future determined by a handful of Tory MPs and then by a handful of Tory members – none of whom have been elected in Scotland. And indeed no Tory prime minister has been elected in Scotland in my lifetime.”
More to follow
