Scotland is “being held back by Westminster”, Ian Blackford has claimed as he road tested new and old slogans in the renewed SNP push for an independence referendum.
At a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions the SNP Westminster leader faced loud jeers as he raised how Nicola Sturgeon had started a national conversation on Scotland’s right to choose an independent future.
Challenging Boris Johnson, Blackford said: “When you look at nations like Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Denmark, it is clear that our neighbours are outperforming the UK.
"They deliver greater equality, lower poverty rates, higher productivity, social mobility and business investment.
“The evidence is overwhelming, Scotland is being held back by Westminster. Prime Minister all those countries can use the powers of independence to create wealthier, fairer and greener societies, why not Scotland?”
Boris Johnson replied in mocking tones: “I don’t doubt his talents as a conversationalist but I think there are other subjects in the national conversation right now and they include what we’re doing to come through the aftershocks of Covid, with the strongest jobs led recovery of any European economy.”
He added: “Investment across the whole of the UK…standing strong together on the international stage and sticking up for the Ukrainians. I think that’s some of the things that the country’s also talking about.”
But Blackford said that while the Prime Minister could afford to live in his own “little Britain” the reality was that the UK had the worst economic performance of any G20 country outside Russia and lived with the threat of a trade war with the EU.
The SNP leader said: “That is not a vision for the future of Scotland. Our nation is big enough, rich enough and smart enough. Isn’t it the case that Scotland simply can’t afford to remain trapped in the failing Westminster system?”
For good measure Blackford reprised the late SNP MP Winnie Ewing’s slogan, adding: “Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on”.
Johnson missed the reference amid the noise and went on familiar ground.
The PM said: "He talks about a trade war, what could be more foolish Mr Speaker than a project that actually has envisages trade barriers within parts of the United Kingdom, that’s what we are trying to break down.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
