FIRST Minister John Swinney will bring a motion on Scottish independence to a Holyrood vote on Tuesday, he has said.
The Scottish Government has tabled a statement and subsequent debate for Tuesday, entitled “ambitious for Scotland”, which will be the first chance the First Minister has to lay out his vision for the next five years since winning this month’s election.
Despite falling short of the majority he said should be the catalyst for another referendum, Swinney will force a vote of MSPs, which is all but certain to pass with 72 pro-independence MSPs in the Chamber.
Following the announcement, independence supporters were urged to convene at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday for a rally.
Speaking to the Press Association on Thursday, the First Minister said: “I intend to bring forward a motion to Parliament on Tuesday, following a statement, subject to the agreement of the parliamentary authorities, about the Government’s priorities, to give Parliament the opportunity to say what I believe it will say, because there is the largest number of independence supporting MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, that the constitutional future of Scotland should be decided by a referendum, delivered through a Section 30 order involving a transfer of powers.
“So we will put that to Parliament on Tuesday, subject to the agreement of the parliamentary authorities, to enable us to have that choice.”
Asked if he is confident the motion will be passed, the First Minister added: “There is the largest number of MSPs supporting independence, so I will put forward that proposition as part of fulfilling the commitments I made in the election and providing us with the opportunity to take forward the agenda to make sure that Scotland’s future is in Scotland’s hands.”
It comes after Gillian Mackay – the co-leader of the Scottish Greens – urged Swinney to bring forward a vote on the issue on the first day after he was sworn-in as First Minister.
She said: “Scotland has voted for a pro-independence majority, and that mandate does not belong to one party alone.
“Every Green vote was a legitimate vote for independence, for Scotland’s right to choose and for a future where decisions about Scotland are made here, not imposed by Westminster.
“Scotland voted for a pro-independence majority, and that must be respected.
“For too long, Westminster governments have ignored Scotland’s democratic voice. John Swinney must not do the same.
“His new government must bring forward the promised parliamentary debate and vote on Scotland’s right to choose at the first available opportunity.”
A spokesperson for Time for Scotland urged independence supporters to attend a rally outside the Scottish Parliament to mark the date.
“A vote and a debate about Scotland’s right to choose its own future must be important for everyone who supports independence," they said.
"Whether this feels like the beginning of a carefully orchestrated push for another referendum – if the cameras are there and they will be, we must be there too.
"So Time For Scotland, which has organised previous rallies outside the Parliament and the small but effective gathering just two weeks ago on election day, is calling on everyone to be at the Parliament at 6pm on Tuesday the 26th – next week.
"It’s only one and a half hours while all the main news bulletins are broadcasting probably live from outside the building and we must show the world that we still care.“
In April, Swinney told a press conference in Glasgow that his party would “bring forward a vote of the Scottish Parliament to approve the development of a Section 30 Order to give Scotland the power to hold an independence referendum”.
He added that the question would be the same as during the 2014 referendum and that the SNP would publish a draft referendum bill within the first 100 days of the parliamentary term.
The SNP would also seek to hold a constitutional convention, and insist that powers over energy are devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
We told how Swinney took charge of the constitution brief as he announced his Cabinet following the Holyrood 2026 elections.
