SNP’s message on Brexit and second ‘indyref’ backed by majority of Scots

Plaid Cymru to retain its 4 MPs at Westminster

The European Free Alliance welcomes the positive results of EFA’s member parties at the UK general election held on 12 December, in which the Scottish National Party (SNP) have made big gains across Scotland, winning 48 out of 59 seats.

The SNP secured 45% of the vote (8.1% more than in the last general election in 2017, when it won 35 seats) sending a clear message to the UK government: the majority of the Scottish citizens do not want Scotland to be dragged out of the EU against its will, and also back a second independence referendum.

EFA will support its member party the SNP and the Scottish government in their future request to the UK government to be given the power to hold a second referendum on independence.

“Scotland has sent a very clear message – we don’t want a Boris Johnson government, we don’t want to leave the EU. The results across the rest of the UK are grim but underlines the importance of Scotland having a choice. Boris Johnson has a mandate to take England out of the EU but he must accept that I have a mandate to give Scotland a choice for an alternative future”, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said.

In Wales, EFA welcomes the fact that its member Plaid Cymru retained all four seats it took at the last general election (9,9% of the votes). Liz Saville Roberts, Hywel Williams, Jonathan Edwards and Ben Lake will be representing Wales’ interests at Westminster.

Nevertheless, EFA regrets that the Welsh Conservatives -who made big gains in some parts of the country- defend Brexit and deny the right of the Welsh people to decide on their own future. “This is a fundamentally bad result for Wales. Boris Johnson cares little and knows even less about our nation. Now more than ever, we will need Plaid Cymru to make Wales’s voice heard in Westminster”, Plaid Cymru Assembly Member, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said.

Yorkshire Party, 6th most voted for party in England

The Yorkshire Party, a member of EFA, stood a record number of candidates in this general election (28 across Yorkshire), and is now the 6^th most voted for party in England, beating the UK Independence Party (UKIP) not just in Yorkshire but at UK level.

They achieved their best result in a general election polling 29,201 votes.

Finally, Mebyon Kernow/the Party of Cornwall was the 4^th most voted for party in the constituency of St Austell & Newquay, ahead of the Greens, with 3% of the vote.