TORY MPs groaned as Rishi Sunak was asked whether Scotland is a “hostage in a territorial British colony” during PMQs on Wednesday.
Alba MP Neale Hanvey took the opportunity to question the PM on why energy-rich Scotland – which provides lots of cash to the UK Government – faces “hostility” from top Conservatives.
“It’s Scotland’s energy resources that feed corporate profits and keep His Majesty’s Treasury pumped full of cash to the tune of £8 billion in the last nine months alone.
“In return, candidates in the summer Tory leadership contest tried to outdo each other in their contempt and hostility for Scotland’s democracy, so without falling back on the ‘you’ve had your vote’ trope, can the Prime Minister tell me: Is Scotland in a voluntary and respectful Union of equals, as claimed in 2014, or are we hostages in a territorial British colony?”.
Sunak, whose parents are descendants of India - a British colony between 1858 and 1947 - responded over groans and heckles from the Tory benches.
He told Hanvey: “What people across Scotland rightly want to see is both their governments working constructively together to improve their lives. That’s what we will do on this side of the House.
“And part of that is actually supporting Scottish energy producers, which he is right, have a vital role to play in enabling our transition to net-zero and improving our energy security, and those Scottish companies will have our full support.”
The depiction of Scotland as a colony has caused controversy within the independence movement over the years.
Last year, SNP MSP Tom Arthur found himself in a row with Yessers after campaign group AUOB described the UK Government's Edinburgh HQ as "colonial".
Arthur called the phrase "historically illiterate" and told the Sunday National: “Scotland was not settled in the way the colonies of North America or Australia or New Zealand were, with the consequent displacement and subjugation of peoples.
"Scotland was not the subject of a carve up by imperial powers as in Africa. Scotland was not a plaything for something equivalent to the East India Company. We weren’t hived off as the consequence of a negotiation following a conflict as with Hong Kong and the Opium Wars.
“All of these have different histories and experiences, there’s similarities and variations, but it isn’t the case for Scotland.
“We were part of the largest colonial enterprise in history."
Scotland is currently waiting to hear back from the Supreme Court on whether an independence referendum can be held without permission from Westminster.
If it can, indyref2 will be held on October 19, 2023. If the answer is no, the Scottish Government intends to use the next General Election as a de-facto independence referendum.
