Opposition fails to see humour in MSP’s Chinese yuan quip

SNP MSP Christina McKelvie said that an independent Scotland would have the “choice” of adopting the Chinese yuan as its currency.

Ms McKelvie said during questioning that the Chinese yuan could be one of the options for the currency of an independent Scotland.

She said: “Yes, well, absolutely we could choose that and that is the whole point about self-determination because it will be our choice and the issue around about transferable currencies is one that will be debated and investigated.”

Labour MSP Michael McMahon yesterday dismissed Ms McKelvie’s claims as “nonsense” and “utterly bonkers”.

He said: “It would be funny, if it was not so serious. Trade, interest rates and people’s savings, mortgages and pensions all depend on what currency we use. The SNP needs to stop treating serious issues like this as if it is a game.

“The SNP’s confusion over the currency seems to deepen by the day.”

“We’ve been told by the SNP that a separate Scotland would join the euro, keep sterling, introduce a brand new currency, use the dollar and now even the Chinese yuan.”

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: “The SNP’s position on what currency a separate Scotland would adopt is all over the place and changes by the day.”