A BID to drop the oath of allegiance to King Charles III at the Scottish Parliament has been backed by MSPs Paul McLennan and Colin Beattie.
The motion was submitted on Tuesday by SNP MSP Kevin Stewart, who represents Aberdeen Central.
The motion has been backed by more than a dozen politicians at Holyrood, including Mr McLennan, who represents East Lothian, and Mr Beattie, who represents Midlothian North and Musselburgh.
It reads: “That the Parliament commends Grenada’s reported decision to drop the oath of allegiance to the British Crown and replace it with a pledge of allegiance to Grenada; recognises that the people of Scotland are sovereign, and believes that Scotland’s Parliament should have the power to follow Grenada’s lead and have its members pledge allegiance to the people of Scotland and not an unelected monarch.”
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In Holyrood, MSPs are required to pledge their “true allegiance” to the monarch.
The last time this happened – following the 2021 election – then-SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon prefaced her comments as such: “The Scottish National Party pledges loyalty to the people of Scotland, in line with the Scottish constitutional tradition of the sovereignty of the people.”
Mr McLennan, who was previously leader of East Lothian Council, said: “I've always believed in the right of the Scottish people to be sovereign and have always been a republican – I respect the current constitutional arrangement.
"I believe the role of constitutional monarchy to be outdated, not just in Scotland, but anywhere in the world."
Meanwhile, Mr Beattie described the oath of allegiance to the British Crown as "meaningless".
He said: "I supported the motion as I believe the oath of allegiance to the British Crown is archaic and meaningless.
"Parliament's role is to work for the people of Scotland, not the British Crown.”
However, South Scotland MSP Craig Hoy (Conservative) said: “It's deeply regrettable that, at a time when schools, hospitals and roads are all deteriorating, some politicians are wasting time and taxpayers' money on student union stunts like this.
"Oath-taking in the Scottish Parliament is a reserved matter for Westminster.”
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