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UK told to prepare for Scottish independence
2 hrs ago |
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The Scottish National Party (SNP) has passed a pro-independence motion calling on the Government of the United Kingdom to begin preparing for the possibility of Scotland leaving the Union.
The motion, tabled by the Glasgow Southside constituency association, was approved unanimously at the party's 2026 conference after a proposal to withdraw it on the grounds that it was "incomplete" failed.
The brief motion stated that as the prospect of a self-governing Scotland draws closer, the UK Government should begin preparations for a time when it may no longer be able to rely on what the motion described as continuing subsidies from Scotland.
SNP councillor Norman MacLeod proposed the motion, while party member Alex Orr seconded it. Orr argued that the resolution was not about confrontation but responsible planning.
"The reality is not that Scotland cannot afford to be independent, it is that the UK Government cannot afford to be unprepared," Orr told delegates. He challenged the narrative that Scotland is dependent on subsidies within the Union, saying governments must plan for possible constitutional changes in the same way they plan for economic shocks or demographic shifts.
However, some delegates criticised the motion for lacking detail. SNP delegate Gareth Morgan said it failed to address broader consequences of independence, including separate foreign, immigration and taxation systems. He also noted that the UK Government would need to prepare for the possibility of Scotland rejoining the European Union and managing the implications of having an EU member state on its northern border.
The debate at the conference echoed remarks by former Green Party of England and Wales MP Caroline Lucas, who warned earlier in the week that discussions about constitutional change are largely absent in England. Speaking in Glasgow, Lucas cautioned that failure to prepare for major political shifts could lead to turmoil similar to the aftermath of the Brexit referendum.
She noted that the government of then-prime minister David Cameron had barred the civil service from modelling the potential consequences of leaving the EU before the vote, which she argued worsened the disruption that followed.
The UK Government has been approached for comment on the motion.
The motion, tabled by the Glasgow Southside constituency association, was approved unanimously at the party's 2026 conference after a proposal to withdraw it on the grounds that it was "incomplete" failed.
The brief motion stated that as the prospect of a self-governing Scotland draws closer, the UK Government should begin preparations for a time when it may no longer be able to rely on what the motion described as continuing subsidies from Scotland.
SNP councillor Norman MacLeod proposed the motion, while party member Alex Orr seconded it. Orr argued that the resolution was not about confrontation but responsible planning.
"The reality is not that Scotland cannot afford to be independent, it is that the UK Government cannot afford to be unprepared," Orr told delegates. He challenged the narrative that Scotland is dependent on subsidies within the Union, saying governments must plan for possible constitutional changes in the same way they plan for economic shocks or demographic shifts.
However, some delegates criticised the motion for lacking detail. SNP delegate Gareth Morgan said it failed to address broader consequences of independence, including separate foreign, immigration and taxation systems. He also noted that the UK Government would need to prepare for the possibility of Scotland rejoining the European Union and managing the implications of having an EU member state on its northern border.
The debate at the conference echoed remarks by former Green Party of England and Wales MP Caroline Lucas, who warned earlier in the week that discussions about constitutional change are largely absent in England. Speaking in Glasgow, Lucas cautioned that failure to prepare for major political shifts could lead to turmoil similar to the aftermath of the Brexit referendum.
She noted that the government of then-prime minister David Cameron had barred the civil service from modelling the potential consequences of leaving the EU before the vote, which she argued worsened the disruption that followed.
The UK Government has been approached for comment on the motion.
Source - online
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