The SNP candidate for Renfrewshire North and West, Natalie Don, has welcomed the STUC Congress’s vote today in support of a motion stating that the Scottish Parliament should have the power to hold a referendum on Scotland’s future and should not require the UK Government’s consent.

Natalie Don said: “The majority of people in Renfrewshire North and West did not vote for a decade of Tory austerity, Brexit or Boris Johnson’s toxic government and we should have the opportunity to choose our own path to a better future as Scotland recovers from the pandemic.

“I welcome today’s vote by the STUC Congress which restated its view that Westminster government should not resist a second independence referendum if a majority of pro-independence MSPs are elected in the upcoming Scottish Parliament election on 6 May.

“If we want to make sure the country we rebuild is the one we want it to be – with kindness, compassion, fairness, equality and enterprise at its heart, then we must work to the right plan, with all the tools we need to do the job.

"I am delighted that the STUC Congress recognises that Scotland's right to choose our own future is a decision that lies solely with the people of Scotland and not out-of-touch Westminster governments that we don’t vote for."