NEWLANDS SLAMS LABOUR FOR ABSTAINING ON SNP MOTION STOP NO-DEAL CATASTROPHE

Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, has said that a second EU referendum must now be the priority as the means of breaking the Brexit impasse, after the motion for a public vote received the most votes in favour in the indicative votes in Parliament.

He also slammed the Labour party for refusing to back the SNP’s motion to revoke Article 50 to prevent a catastrophic no-deal outcome. The motion was defeated by 101 votes, with 121 Labour MPs abstaining.

The SNP backed revoking article 50, putting the decision back to the people through a referendum and in order to ensure it remains an option, the Common Market 2.0 proposal, which comes closest to the compromise position proposed by the Scottish Government in December 2016, which also saw an increase in support.

Commenting, Newlands said:

“Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union so the SNP’s No.1 priority is to stop Brexit and bring a swift end to the chaos that is already affecting Scotland and the UK’s economy, jobs, and living standards.

“The option to have another referendum received the widest support in the House of Commons, it is now abundantly clear that the only way to break the impasse is to bring it back to the people with the option to remain on the ballot paper.

“We all know a lot more than we did in 2016 and given this, it is clear that the best way to end the Brexit deadlock is to put the decision back to the people in a second EU referendum, revoking Article 50 has to be part of this process.

“Scotland has been ignored throughout the Brexit process and no one can claim that Scotland is treated as an equal partner in the UK. Whatever happens – Scotland must become an independent country.”