The SNP’s depute leader has been forced to backtrack after suggesting its MPs should boycott Westminster.
Keith Brown said the nationalist party should look at whether to withdraw its MPs following a row over a Gaza vote.
But he was promptly slapped down by SNP leader Humza Yousaf who took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to reject the proposal.
The Scottish First Minister said: “When the SNP is winning, the cause of independence is winning. And the converse is absolutely true.
“If those who oppose independence are winning, they’ll take that as a mandate for further Westminster rule. That’s why we need SNP MPs at Westminster, standing up for Scotland.”
Mr Yousaf’s post was shared by the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.
Mr Brown went on to make a hasty retreat, writing in a post on X: “The SNP’s position is to engage, and there is no prospect of that changing for the general election.
“In the meantime, it’s vital we have SNP MPs there to stand up for Scotland’s interests and resist any efforts at Westminster to undermine our voice and stifle legitimate debate.”
It comes after the Commons descended into chaos last month in a row over an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Writing in the Sunday National, the SNP’s depute leader said the “tradition whereby Westminster sidelines, marginalises or suppresses Scotland is not new”.
Mr Brown said: “Given the ‘diet democracy’ of the UK and the denial of democracy to Scotland, it seems we now need to examine whether it is right to confer any legitimacy on an institution determined to deny democracy in Scotland.
“Some have believed for many years that Scotland should withdraw from Westminster while others believe it is necessary to be there, to make arguments on Scotland’s behalf, to promote and protect Scotland’s interests. I have tended to agree with this.
“But when the institution can so easily be manipulated to thwart Scotland’s representatives, the issue needs, in my view, to be re-examined.”
