Rona Mackay votes in favour of referendum

MSPs voted by 69 to 59 in favour of seeking permission for a referendum before the UK leaves the EU.

Ms Mackay, the SNP MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, said: “I voted in favour of giving the ordinary people a choice on their future – the two paths that lie ahead are too important for any politician to decide on.

“The UK’s exit from the EU is predicted to have earth-shattering consequences for Scotland – with tens of thousands of jobs projected to be lost. Among the concerns, huge societal changes about what sort of nation we wish to be.

“The Scottish Parliament has voted for a referendum in two years time. The electorate must be allowed to choose between decades of Tory rule after a hard Brexit or controlling their own destiny as a self-determining nation.

“I echo calls that the Theresa May and her government must respect the Scottish Parliament and allow the people to choose between charting our own course or remaining in Tory post-Brexit Britain.”