Taking turns at Cenotaph

Published on Monday 10 November 2008 21:15

Public representatives of all political persuasions take the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial commemorations very seriously (Letters, 10 November).

Alex Salmond attended Sunday's Remembrance service in Edinburgh in his capacity as First Minister of Scotland.

Last year I laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in London on behalf of the SNP/Plaid Cymru group and this year my Plaid colleague, Elfyn Llwyd MP, was present on behalf of both our parties.

In fact, it is only due to SNP-led negotiations with Westminster authorities some years ago that the party secured a presence at the Cenotaph to pay tribute to our fallen servicemen and women.

The SNP and our Welsh sister party, Plaid Cymru, together comprise a joint parliamentary group in the House of Commons, and the Westminster leader of each party takes it in turn to represent the group as a whole at the annual service at the Cenotaph. This is the only arrangement that enables both parties to be represented at the Cenotaph.

ANGUS ROBERTSON MP

Westminster SNP Leader

House of Commons, London