THE SNP are to ask MPs from all parties to endorse Scotland’s historic claim of right in parliament today.
They will use their opposition day debate to force a vote on the “historic concept of the sovereignty of the people, and the right of people in Scotland to decide their own future.”
The 1989 Claim of Right was drawn up by the Scottish Constitutional Convention, and sought to acknowledge the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine their government.
It was was supported by a range of civic groups and businesses, and, at the time, by the Lib Dems and the Labour party.
The SNP initially pulled out of the convention at an early stage because it would not consider independence.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament in 2012, Nicola Sturgeon said her party had always supported the sentiments of the Claim of Right," adding: "The reasons why the SNP weren't in the constitutional convention are well documented, but that is history."
SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford said: “Last year the Scottish Parliament marked 20 years of devolution, yet it now finds itself under threat of a power grab from the very party which opposed its creation in the first place.
“The UK government’s legal challenges to the Scottish Parliament’s Continuity Bill shows the arrogance of the Tories when faced with the will of the Scottish people.
“The People of Scotland voted decisively to remain part of the European Union and this decision must be taken into account and respected, not cast to one side by the UK government.
“The stark difference in the political direction of Holyrood and Westminster in recent years make it even more crucial that the will of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people is respected.”
A Claim of Right for Scotland, 1989
We, gathered as the Scottish Constitutional Convention, do hereby acknowledge the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs, and do hereby declare and pledge that in all our actions and deliberations their interests shall be paramount.
We further declare and pledge that our actions and deliberations shall be directed to the following ends: To agree a scheme for an Assembly or Parliament for Scotland; To mobilise Scottish opinion and ensure the approval of the Scottish people for that scheme; To assert the right of the Scottish people to secure implementation of that scheme.
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