Scottish Parliament Passes 72-55 Motion Demanding Section 30 Independence Referendum Order

The Scottish Parliament voted 72 to 55 on 26 May 2026 to pass a motion tabled by First Minister John Swinney calling on the UK Government to grant a Section 30 order — the devolved legislative instrument that would authorise a legally binding Scottish independence referendum. The vote was backed by all 58 SNP MSPs and the Scottish Greens (14 MSPs), representing the largest pro-independence parliamentary majority in Holyrood's history since the institution was established in 1999. The motion passed despite opposition from Labour, Scottish Conservative, and Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs. Prime Minister Starmer's UK Government immediately reiterated it would not issue the Section 30 order, citing the UK Supreme Court's November 2022 ruling that Scotland cannot hold a binding referendum without Westminster consent. Swinney described the vote as a 'clear democratic mandate the UK Government ignores at its constitutional peril' and confirmed the SNP government would pursue legal and diplomatic channels targeting IndyRef2 by 2028. The vote came during the UK Parliament's Whitsun Recess (22 May–1 June) and raised the political temperature between Holyrood and Westminster at a moment of acute vulnerability for Starmer following Labour's May 2026 local election losses.