STEPHEN Flynn has branded the leader of the Scottish Conservatives “a wee dafty” as the pair clashed in the Commons.
The SNP’s leader in Westminster made the jibe during an exchange on Tuesday as MPs debated the content of the King’s Speech.
@scotnational BREAKING: Quite the scene as Douglas Ross is called a 'wee dafty' in the House of Commons 👀 #snp #scottishindependence #tories #douglasross #stephenflynn #scotland #fyp ♬ original sound - The National
While making his speech in response to the Government’s legislative wish list for the coming year, Flynn took an intervention from Douglas Ross, who asked whether he would support the Tories’ plans to ramp up oil and gas production in the UK.
In response, Flynn said: “It’s just seven days, since the Government announced 27 licenses for offshore oil and gas and now they’ve come forward with a proposal to do so on an annual basis.
🚨Amazing scenes in the House of Commons, as @StephenFlynnSNP calls Douglas Ross a 'wee dafty'. pic.twitter.com/giQ09ZFnoU
— The National (@ScotNational) November 7, 2023
“Now what I would like to see… as I hear [Ross] chuntering from a sedentary position, like a wee dafty.
"Mr Speaker, if he would choose to listen I will get to my point.
“What he knows I believe is there has to be an evidence-based approach to oil and gas extraction. An evidence-based approach which is anathema to this Government.
“What we need to be considering is our energy security, what we need to be considering is our commitment to net zero. What we need to be considering is jobs and opportunities. And of course, what we need to be considering is investment in renewables going forward.
"Now what I would like to see the Government do... is obviously to ensure that the pre-existing licenses for the likes of offshore wind, where the Government has failed, we see improvements to ensure that that actually happens."
Elsewhere in his speech, Flynn accused the Government of having failed to take "necessary" measures to boost economic growth, including the Tories desire to see immigration fall.
He said: "We all know that Britain is broke and Brexit broke it. But we so obviously need economic growth and for those of us on these benches there is an obvious solution in this front, there is perhaps three or four things that we could and should do.
“They may not be popular with members on certainly the Government side and indeed some on the official opposition side, but they are necessary because all of us I think would agree that in order to have economic growth what you need and what you have to see is the tax base expanded.
“The easiest way to do that is to actually increase working age migration into these isles.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer (above) branded the Government's legislative agenda a "plan for more of the same" as he accused the Conservatives of offering "change away from itself".
He added: “Today’s address shows just how ridiculous that posturing is.
"Because what we have before us is a plan for more of the same, more sticking plasters, more division, more party first, country second gimmicks and no repudiation of the utterly discredited idea that economic growth is something the few hand down to the many."
"In fact, today we reached something of a new low because they are not even pretending to govern any more."
The Government's list of 21 bills was criticised by Labour MP Chris Bryant who said the laws would prove insubstantial.
In his speech to the Commons, Sunak said Labour's spending plans as “dangerous” and “inflationary”, and claimed the “British people would pay the price in higher interest rates and higher taxes” under a Labour government.
