Midlothian MSP welcomes Holyrood vote for independence referendum

Midlothian MSP Colin Beattie has welcomed a Holyrood vote backing the right for Scotland to hold an independence referendum.

Midlothian North and Musselburgh MSP Colin Beattie. Photo: Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament

A majority of MSPs endorsed the right of the people of Scotland to hold a second independence referendum.

A recent Survation poll found that 61 per cent of Scots believed the matter should be for Holyrood, with 39 per cent believing Westminster should decide.

Mr Beattie (SNP)said: “Scotland is being dragged out of the EU against our will. In 2014 we were promised that voting No meant staying in the EU, and many people in Midlothian voted on that basis. In a democracy, when the facts change people have the right to change their mind.

“I was elected on a manifesto commitment to hold an independence referendum in the circumstances we now face. The Scottish Parliament has backed the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine their own future– and most people believe it should be for Holyrood to decide, not Boris Johnson.”