An MP who was thrown out of the House of Commons following a protest has asked why he should respect Parliamentary rules if “Westminster will not respect Scottish democracy”.
Alba Party MPs Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill were ordered out of the chamber by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
Mr MacAskill could be heard trying to raise a point of order and appeared to say “we need a referendum”, before he was drowned out by other MPs.
The Speaker’s Office confirmed the pair have been suspended from the Commons for five sitting days.
The protest comes after one of Boris Johnson’s final acts before his resignation as Tory leader last week, triggering a leadership contest to replace him, was to reject an official request for the powers required to hold another referendum on Scottish independence.
The Scottish Government has laid out plans to hold another vote on October 19 2023 and Scotland’s top law officer has referred a Bill which would legislate a referendum to the UK Supreme Court to ensure it is within the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
Mr MacAskill refused to sit down and continued to speak, prompting Sir Lindsay to act.
The Speaker said: “I will not tolerate such behaviour. If you want to go out, go out now.
“If you stand again, I will order you out. Make your mind up.”
Mr MacAskill rose to his feet again before Mr Hanvey also stood up and started speaking, but he could not be heard over the heckling from Tory MPs.
Sir Lindsay then named the pair, meaning they are suspended from the House.
He said: “Neale Hanvey, I’m now naming you and Kenny MacAskill to leave this chamber. Serjeant, deal with them.
“Out now, serjeant-at-arms escort them out.”
After the protest, Mr Hanvey said in a statement: “Scotland’s mandate for an independence referendum must be respected.
“Scottish MPs are in Westminster to settle up for the people of Scotland, not to settle down.
“Why should we respect the rules of the House of Commons when Westminster will not respect Scottish democracy.
“People back home are sick and tired of the House of Commons dismissing the democratic right of Scotland to determine its own future.
“Scotland will not be held hostage by any UK Prime Minister, especially one on the fag end of his premiership.”
Mr MacAskill said that Scotland has a “mandate for a referendum”, accusing the Prime Minister of “denying Scottish democracy”.
He went on to say it was “perverse” that so many people were facing fuel poverty when Scotland was such an energy-rich nation.
