Kirkintilloch politicians vow to fight for Scotland amid Brexit uncertainty

At a public meeting on Friday, November 4, Alyn Smith MEP, Rona Mackay MSP, Stuart McDonald MP and Councillor Gillian Renwick addressed concerned citizens about Brexit.

Billed as ‘Scotland’s Place in Europe’, around 70 residents turned out to hear from the panel, which gave updates from all three parliaments.

Chaired by Councillor Renwick, the politicians made speeches before answering a series of questions from householders, including local business people.

Ms Mackay, the MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, said: “Many EU nationals in my constituency are worried about their place in Scotland after the Brexit vote. I was glad some of these residents turned out at the public meeting to air their concerns to us – I provided an update about what’s going on at Holyrood in relation to Brexit.”

After the event, Mr Smith, an SNP MEP for Scotland, said: “It was great to come back to Kirkintilloch, the event was about setting out where we have come, what we’ve done since, what’s actually at stake and what’s coming up in relation to Scotland and the EU.

“It was about sharing intelligence with people about what’s going on in the European Parliament. It’s important to make sure the people know they have hard-working representatives who are at their posts and on their jobs.”

Mr McDonald, MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, said: “I hope local people found the ‘Scotland’s Place in Europe’ event useful. It was certainly beneficial to my colleagues and I, who spent a long time after speaking with concerned residents about the local impact of the UK splitting from the EU.

“Questions are just continuing to pile up now about Brexit, and I let those at the meeting know we are working incredibly hard at Westminster to get the best possible resolution for the people in our constituencies and to protect Scotland’s interests in Europe.”