Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 24 February 2026 [Draft]
24 Feb 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 3
That was much clearer—thank you so much, Presiding Officer.
Once again, all the amendments in the group have been lodged by me. As I laid out at stage 2, we should be guided by the fact that the public expects far more from MSPs, and we should be held to higher standards than those we represent.
Being a member of this Parliament is a privilege, not an entitlement. I believe that, regardless of the severity of the crime, any MSP who is convicted of an offence should be removed automatically, bypassing the need for a recall petition or by-election. As we saw with the case of Margaret Ferrier—
In the same item of business
14:38
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is stage 3 proceedings on the Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill. In dealing with the amendments, members sho...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Group 1 is on how a regional member is recalled. Amendment 38, in the name of Sue Webber, is grouped with amendments 38 to 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43 to 46, 48, 5...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
All the amendments in this group have been lodged by me and concern changes to the recall process for regional members. One of the key challenges of the bill...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
Will the member give way?
Sue Webber
Con
No, I shall not be giving way to Mr Mason.
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Ind)
Ind
Will the member give way?
Sue Webber
Con
Yes, I will give way to Jeremy Balfour.
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
My concern is that the amendments would take away the responsibility and power from the electorate and would allow the Parliament to make a decision that the...
Sue Webber
Con
Indeed. Such vexatious complaints and what might or might not happen in a future session of Parliament are of grave concern to me. We must be mindful that th...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Sue Webber for her explanation of her amendments. I wish to speak to amendment 42. The member obviously received different advice from that which I r...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey)
SNP
The Scottish Government cannot support any of Sue Webber’s amendments in the group, because they would change the nature of recall by removing Scottish voter...
Graham Simpson (Central Scotland) (Reform)
Reform
Sue Webber’s amendments would apply the recall petition process only to constituency members and provide for automatic removal of regional members in cases i...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Sue Webber to wind up the debate and to press or withdraw amendment 38.
Sue Webber
Con
I find it slightly ironic that two regional MSPs are supporting my amendments but the Government minister who was elected in a constituency is not. I push ba...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The question is, that amendment 38 be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
There will be a division. As this will be the first division of stage 3, I suspend the meeting for about five minutes to allow members to access the digital ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We will proceed with the division on amendment 38. Members should cast their votes now.The vote is closed.
The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy (Gillian Martin)
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect to the app. I would have voted no.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Thank you, Ms Martin. Your vote will be recorded.15:00
Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted yes.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Thank you, Ms Dowey. We hope you will have your camera on next time.
ForBaker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab)Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con)Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con)Carlaw, ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The result of the division is: For 37, Against 69, Abstentions 0.Amendment 38 disagreed to.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We now turn to group 2, on removal for offending. Amendment 1, in the name of Sue Webber, is grouped with amendments 2 to 6, 8, 9, 22, 25, 27 and 32 to 34. I...
Sue Webber
Con
The sound was all over the place there, Presiding Officer. It was coming in and out, and I did not quite hear everything. Perhaps whoever is working the soun...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
If you resume your seat, Ms Webber, I will repeat what I said, and we will see if we can get it all on the record.
Sue Webber
Con
Thank you.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Amendment 1, in the name of Sue Webber, is grouped with amendments 2 to 6, 8, 9, 22, 25, 27 and 32 to 34. I take this opportunity to point out that, if amend...
Sue Webber
Con
That was much clearer—thank you so much, Presiding Officer.Once again, all the amendments in the group have been lodged by me. As I laid out at stage 2, we s...