I’M writing this from my beautiful constituency. Not because Tory grandee Nicholas Soames told me to “go back to Skye” last week in the House of Commons, but because the UK Parliament has closed up for Christmas – with only 99 days to go until Brexit.
READ MORE: WATCH: SNP MP's response to being told to 'go back to Skye'
It can’t be right that at this crucial time, when we face this constitutional crisis, work on securing the best possible outcome for the UK is on pause. The UK Government should be accepting responsibility, not granting MPs 17 days of recess.
Since Theresa May cowardly cancelled her meaningful vote on her Brexit proposals, the SNP group in Westminster has tried every trick in the rule book to bring about change to the dangerous course this UK Government is on.
We have put constant pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to table a vote of no confidence in the UK Government; we believe the Government has hit a dead end and Parliament must now take control of the Brexit process to break the deadlock.
READ MORE: Labour MP accuses Brexiteer Corbyn of betraying his country
As the official opposition, Labour’s motion would have had the best chance of being taken. The Labour leader said on Monday he would put forward a motion of no confidence – but in the Prime Minister, not the Government.
This was either an ill-informed move, or just a gimmick – because procedurally, it doesn’t amount to anything substantial. Instead, it took the SNP with other opposition leaders to improve the motion with an amendment, changing the language from “Prime Minister” to “Her Majesty’s Government” under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.
Regrettably this motion with our amendment was not accepted by the Government for debate the following day. With time running out, I met again with LibDem leader Vince Cable, Liz Saville Roberts from Plaid Cymru and the Green’s Caroline Lucas on Tuesday evening to discuss our next steps.
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We decided our best option was to submit our own vote of no confidence in the UK Government, in the hope it would gather more cross-party signatures and merit a debate in the Commons before Christmas.
We all agreed that now is the time for the Prime Minister to stand down, for this Tory Government to stand aside and for people across the UK to make a decision on the future of the country.
It is clear the Prime Minister’s tactic has been to run down the clock and deprive Parliament of any alternative to her deal and Jeremy Corbyn’s inaction indicates he seems happy to let her – presumably to avoid having to make a decision on a second EU referendum.
This is not acceptable and people deserve better. I am proud the SNP has been working with the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the Greens to break the deadlock – Labour must now meaningfully work with us.
Nicholas Soames, who heckled Ian Blackford in Parliament earlier this week
When I was rudely heckled by Nicholas Soames, I was just on my feet to start the SNP’s emergency debate on May’s Brexit proposals. We had been granted the debate by the Speaker as Parliament would otherwise have been denied the time on such a crucial issue. The MP’s comments were typical, and exemplify the disdain SNP MPs face from Tories when we stand up for Scotland. This Government has to go and we must work together to stop the Prime Minister’s Brexit plans.
READ MORE: The year of Brexit: How the UK went kaput
Our motion of no confidence was gaining signatures from MPs as the House of Commons closed its doors for Christmas on Thursday, and it’s our hope it will gain even more signatures in the new year.
We want this motion to succeed, but if it doesn’t, Labour’s only excuse for not backing a second referendum will be removed. We can then all get on with building a majority for that vote. Either way, if the official opposition won’t do it’s job, the real opposition will.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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