Labour MP breaks ranks on referendum

Labour’s internal divisions and confusion on support for a referendum on independence deepened today with a junior member of the UK Government backing Wendy Alexander’s calls for an immediate referendum.

Ochil Labour MP, Gordon Banks, a PPS in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, announced his backing for Wendy Alexander’s referendum calls in a column for the Wee County News.

SNP Westminster leader, Angus Robertson MP, welcomed Mr Banks commitment, and called on other Scottish Labour MPs to back an EDM tabled by the SNP welcoming the commitment by Labour in the Scottish Parliament to back a referendum.

Mr Robertson said:

"Gordon Banks comments will come as another embarrassing blow to Gordon Brown. The Prime Minister has clearly lost all authority within his party.

"Amidst all the u-turns and confusion there has been an eerie silence from Scottish Labour MP’s, and they really must clarify whether they support the right of the people of Scotland to have their say.

"When Labour warned that an SNP win at the Scottish elections last year would bring about endless constitutional wrangling, what they forgot to say was it would be internal Labour wrangling.

Note:

A copy of Mr Banks column is attached.

The text of the SNP EDM, which appears in today’s Order of Business:

(EDM 1539) LABOUR SUPPORT FOR REFERENDUM ON SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE

That this House welcomes the remarks of the leader of the Labour Group of MSPs, Ms Wendy Alexander, that Labour `will not vote down the opportunity for Scotland to speak' in a referendum on Scottish independence (BBC Scotland Politics Show, 11th May), which confirms the statement of the Chairman of the Labour Group of MSPs, Mr Duncan McNeil, that `we are now in a position where, as a group, we will not vote down any Referendum Bill that comes into the Parliament' (Scottish Press Association, 6th May); further welcomes this confirmation that an independence referendum is a matter for the Scottish Parliament to decide; believes that these clear statements mean that Labour MSPs cannot oppose the Scottish Government's proposed independence referendum bill in 2010; and invites Labour hon. Members to endorse the position of Ms Alexander and her colleagues in the Scottish Parliament.