A SCOTTISH memorial for the late Queen would be "wholly inappropriate" when polls suggest most people in the country are against the monarchy, an MSP has said.
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed a committee is to be established to consider a potential memorial for the late Queen Elizabeth two years on from her death.
It comes after plans for a national memorial in London’s St James’s Park were announced by the Prime Minister on Saturday.
Public funds will be used to pay for the memorial and the UK Government will also make funding available for memorial projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
But Green MSP Maggie Chapman (below) said a memorial to the late Queen seems “wholly inappropriate” given polls show most Scots want a democratically-elected head of state.
She said: “In a week where the SNP announced cuts to free school meals, public transport, climate action, and more, people will rightly question why spending any public money on another monument to the monarchy is being given priority.
“With Labour pushing a new era of austerity and recent polls showing that a majority of Scots believe that a democratic society needs a democratically elected head of state, this seems wholly inappropriate.
“People are hurting. If there is money to spare, it should surely be focused in areas that will improve people’s lives – on social security and tackling the cost of living – not on more monuments to the already fabulously privileged.”
Plans for the Scottish project are understood to be at an early stage and the Scottish Government said it would release further details in due course.
Commenting on the national memorial plans, Swinney said: “My thoughts, and those of the Scottish people, are with the King and the royal family as they mark the second anniversary of the death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
“I welcome proposals for a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth in London to mark her life and service across the UK.
“A Scottish committee will also be established to engage with the UK legacy programme and to consider a potential memorial project specific to Scotland.”
Former SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said any memorial should be paid for by the royals themselves and not the taxpayer, though he questioned whether one was necessary anyway.
He told The National: “I would have thought there’s enough monuments and memorials to the royals in Scotland as it is, but if there is to be another I sincerely hope it will be paid for by the royal family rather than the taxpayer. They are one of the richest families in the land.
“If there is any spare money in the public purse then it should be spent on the NHS rather than royal statues.”
The site in London, a few hundred metres from Buckingham Palace, was approved by the King and the Prime Minister.
Design proposals for the memorial will be submitted later this year and they will be reviewed by the independent Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee.
The announcement of the final design will coincide with what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday year in 2026.
