A SCOT has started a petition calling for the introduction of a statutory provision for independence referendums in both Scotland and Wales.
Neil Robinson, from Cumbernauld, began the petition after feeling “a clear disconnect” around claims from the UK Government that Scotland is in a “voluntary Union”.
Senior figures in Westminster have repeatedly claimed that Scotland is in a “voluntary Union” with the rest of the UK, yet Holyrood cannot call an independence referendum without Westminster's approval.
In 2022, Keir Starmer – then leader of the opposition – argued that the Union was "voluntary", adding that Scotland was not "stuck in it".
We told how in October, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch – then a candidate in the leadership race – argued that although Scotland was in a voluntary Union, it was not “one where everybody can rush out at a particular point”.
The petition, which was published on Monday, states on the UK Parliament’s website: “It has been stated that the UK is a voluntary union. If this is democratically the case I think there should be a legal mechanism for any part of the union to decide whether or not to leave that union.”
In his petition, Robinson points out that while Northern Ireland has statutory provisions in place for a referendum on its constitutional future, this is not the case for Scotland or Wales.
He said that Scotland and Wales should have these provisions in place so that “they do not have to seek permission from Westminster to hold independence referendums”.
Speaking to The National, Robinson said the issue was “simply a matter of democracy”.
He said: “This is simply a matter of democracy in relation to the idea of the right of a nation to determine how they take things forward in relation to their own preference.
“The supreme court decision clarified that any opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to take forward a legal referendum without the permission of the UK Parliament is not possible.
“There really should be some sort of statutory provision for Scotland – or Wales – to instigate a referendum on self-determination if either nation wishes it.
“This would ensure a reasonable level of democracy on the issue for each nation to be able to make such a decision without the need for the UK parliament to determine whether a referendum should go ahead.”
Robinson accepted that the UK Government was unlikely to agree with the statement but urged it to issue a response.
He added: “It is up to them to explain why they won’t agree with a reasonable democratic proposition which allows the claim of a voluntary union to then be true.”
As of 2.30pm on Monday, the petition has reached 100 signatures. It needs 10,000 signatures for the UK Government to respond.
