THE case for Scottish independence has been put forward by MPs during a marathon debate in the House of Commons.
Opening the debate, SNP leader at Westminster Ian Blackford said that the recent political crisis in the Conservative Party had highlighted the need for independence.
He said: “The UK Government has been so consumed by their own political crisis that they have been ignoring the economic crisis that they caused with their mini-budget on September 23.
“Not just ignoring it, but completely blind to the mess that they made.
“In the last 10 days it has been hard not to notice that the Tory benches are in a state of excited relief that they got rid of a prime minister who managed to crash the UK economy in the space of 44 days.
“In their great relief, they seem to have magically forgotten that they were the ones who put her in place, they were the ones that were cheering on her libertarian joyride until the very moment that she crashed the economy.
“They may have gotten rid of the prime minister they put in place, but for ordinary people the damage is already done.”
Blackford also highlighted the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s economy.
“The evidence of the damage being done by Brexit it mounting by the day,” he said.
“And yet from those that forced this on Scotland not one word of contrition.
“Not one word of apology has ever been offered for the massive act of economic self-harm that has been inflicted on all of us.”
Scotland Secretary Alister Jack said that the SNP were failing to respect the result of the 2014 referendum and claimed that the issue was acting as a “millstone” around the neck of Scotland’s economy.
He said: “I believe this House should be discussing ways to improve Scotland’s economic growth, because our economic growth has lagged behind that of the United Kingdom during the time the SNP has been in power at Holyrood.
“Why is that I wonder? How much better might things have been if the SNP respected the democratic result of the 2014 referendum and ceased their constant, unwanted demands to re-run that referendum.
“I fear their constant campaign, their neverendum campaign to leave the United Kingdom acts like a millstone around the neck of the Scottish economy.”
The debate contained no shortage of conflict with Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray repeatedly clashing with pro-independence MPs.
Murray was forced to apologise after he evaded a question from SNP MP Angus MacNeil.
MacNeil had asked whether the Labour MP would prefer “an independent Scotland with a Labour or SNP government or a Scotland inside the UK with a Tory government”.
To which Murray replied: “What an absolutely ridiculous and pointless intervention from a ridiculous and pointless Member of Parliament … is that unparliamentary? OK, I apologise.”
Later in the debate Murray also butted heads with Alba MP Neale Hanvey.
Hanvey has asked whether there “needs to be violence” for Scotland to claim independence after making a comparison to the history of Ireland.
Murray then took the opportunity to take a jibe at Hanvey.
“If that is the kind of argument we are getting from the Alba party who was elected as an SNP Member of Parliament then the people of his constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath should reflect very seriously on what they should do at the next general election.”
Raising a point of order, Hanvey called for the shadow minister to correct the record, as he was elected as an independent MP.
Murray replied: “Yes he did correct the record, because I forgot he was suspended for antisemitism. I am surprised he wants to put that on the public record of why he was thrown out of the Scottish National Party.”
Hanvey responded: “I know it may feel politically expedient for the shadow minister to slur me in the way that he did, but he should be aware that I was reinstated into the SNP because the accusations of antisemitism did not stand.”
After calls from Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans to “change the tone” of the debate, Murray said: “I heard the point of order from the Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath and accept the timeline, but I was accurate to say that he was thrown out as being an SNP candidate on accusations of antisemitism.”
Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart took the opportunity to ask MPs in the other parties whether they believed that Scotland would be a successful independent country.
Members of the other parties agreed that it was possible, although Scottish Conservative MP David Duguid said that any country in the United Kingdom “could possibly succeed” but “not nearly as much as the United Kingdom.”
SNP MP Gavin Newlands argued the UK “is a failing state” with a social security system “that Kafka would have torn up at first draft”.
