Reform UK MSPs have walked out of the Holyrood chamber in protest against a debate on Scottish independence.

The party's Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord, led his colleagues out of the chamber to jeers from across the room after attempting to have the debate cancelled. Offord argued the topic should not be discussed because it covers non-devolved matters, telling parliament: "This debate is an insult to the Scottish electorate who expect politicians to deal with serious issues in their communities."

Offord withdrew his party's amendment as he left, adding: "We did not come into this parliament to waste our time on vanity projects." The exit drew a swift response from Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer, who quipped that he hoped a nearby pub had extra staff on because "they may be busy."

Despite the walkout, MSPs proceeded to vote on a non-binding motion tabled by First Minister John Swinney, which declared: "Scotland is a nation that has a right to decide its own future." The motion passed by 84 votes to 18.

The result saw Green and Labour MSPs join the SNP in backing the text, while the Scottish Conservatives and Liberal Democrats voted against it. Labour's decision to support the motion is a notable shift, as the party does not typically vote with the SNP on constitutional issues and does not back independence or a second referendum.

Michael Marra, the new leader of Scottish Labour, supported the motion alongside an amendment adding that efforts should be stepped up to tackle child poverty. While Marra argued the debate was more about internal SNP politics than practical action, he said the goal should be to "build a consensus – the settled will of the Scottish people – and make it overwhelming." He stressed, however, that he believes Scotland "can be a fairer and stronger nation without being a separate state" and does not need to risk its currency, defence, markets, or budgets.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay rejected the move entirely, stating the SNP should respect the result of the "once in a generation" 2014 vote, where Scots chose to remain in the UK by 55% to 45%. Findlay told MSPs: "The SNP say that Scotland should decide. We did decide, more than two million Scots said no, and thank goodness for that."

Swinney defended bringing the motion forward, insisting that a simple majority of pro-independence MSPs at Holyrood provides a mandate. He also cited demographic changes since 2014, pointing out that by 2029 more than one million people in Scotland will not have had the opportunity to vote due to their age, and that by 2030 the youngest voters will not have even been born when the referendum took place.

Opposition MSPs noted that Swinney had previously said an outright SNP majority was the best route to secure a referendum mandate. While the SNP and Greens together hold 73 seats—an increase of one—the proportion of voters who backed pro-independence parties at the May election dropped to around 41%, down from roughly 50% in 2021.

The Holyrood debate comes two weeks after Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs that a border poll would be considered in Scotland and Northern Ireland if there was a clear consensus and public opinion had changed. When Swinney wrote to him requesting a meeting to enshrine such a mechanism in law, Burnham replied that no consensus exists and that another referendum is "off limits" while he focuses on the economy and living costs, noting the distinct constitutional arrangements between the nations.

For now, the legal landscape has not changed: the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the Scottish Parliament cannot hold an independence referendum without Westminster's consent. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.