We do NOT have to listen to the Scottish Parliament referendum vote, fumes MSP
SCOTTISH Tory Murdo Fraser attacked Holyrood over its demand the UK government listens to the result of its vote on when the country should have a referendum on independence.
MSP fumes the Scottish parliament are ‘ignorant’
The Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance dismissed SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson’s earlier claims that Westminster would be obliged to listen to the Scottish Parliament’s decision.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s push for a referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 has been dismissed by Theresa May and it could be put off for six years.
Ms Sturgeon and Mr Robertson have since hit back warning the Prime Minister against ignoring the will of Holyrood.
Murdo Fraser hit out at Nicola Sturgeon's call for Westminster to listen to Holyrood
The SNP government in Edinburgh routinely ignore and dismiss votes in the Scottish parliament
But, speaking on Daily Politics, Mr Fraser argued the Scottish Parliament itself routinely ignored lost votes and suggested it was ironic it was now demanding to be heard itself.
He said: “The SNP government in Edinburgh routinely ignore and dismiss votes in the Scottish parliament when they lose them. Just last week they lost a vote on education, two weeks ago they lost two votes. They lost a vote a few weeks ago on the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.
“What happens to the Scottish government when they lose votes in the Scottish Parliament, they ignore them and now they’ve got the arrogance and temerity to say that the UK government has to listen to votes in the Scottish parliament when this SNP Scottish government ignore votes in the Scottish Parliament, you couldn’t make it up.”
Speaking earlier on the show, Mr Robertson said a decision by Westminster to ignore the Holyrood vote would lead to a break up of the UK.
He said: “I think people in Whitehall and Westminster need to understand that if they disregard Scotland’s parliament, a majority voting in favour of Scotland having a referendum and they are then going to go on to say that Scotland not only cannot have a referendum now but it must take even more years and Scotland will have left the European Union by then, the consequences for the United Kingdom is that there will not be a United Kingdom because the fictional respect will have been exposed as being totally empty.”
On Thursday, Mrs May slapped down the First Minister for having promised to deliver another vote as she said "now is not the time" for a disruptive vote on whether Scotland becomes an independent nation.