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Over 7,500 New Members Join SNP After MP Walkout Over Westminster “Powergrab”
The Conservatives may have laughed and jeered as SNP MPs walked out of the House of Commons on Wednesday, but in the 48 hours after the event over 7,500 members have apparently signed up to the Scottish party. If this is the case, it could mean that the SNP have overtaken the Torys as the second largest political party in the United Kingdom.
Figures published last month on the parliament website have Conservative membership at 124,00, whilst SNP membership stood at 118,200. However, First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted yesterday that 7,526 new members had signed up in the wake of prime ministers questions on Wednesday, a debate that saw many SNP MPs walk out of the House of Commons after Ian Blackford was asked to withdraw by Speaker John Bercow.
Number of new @theSNP members over last 48 hours is now...7,526. A warm welcome to all!
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 15, 2018
If this is the case, this would put SNP membership at 125,726, making them the second largest political party after Labour, and knocking the Torys down to the number three spot in terms of party membership.
This surge in membership comes after Ian Blackford, SNP Parliamentary Leader and MP, accused the government of manoeuvring a power grab from Scotland that would see many powers removed from Scottish parliament and given to Westminster without Scottish consent.
Blackford voiced his anger at the way that the EU withdrawal bill proceedings had been carried out in regards to Scottish devolution, and was asked to withdraw after refusing to sit when asked by Speaker John Bercow. His withdrawal prompted many SNP MPs to follow suit and was met with loud laughter and cheering from the Torys.
Following the walkout, Scottish Conservative MPs have branded these actions as “an orchestrated stunt”.
However, the walkout over the Westminster power grab does seem to have solidified the SNP’s place in Scotland and knocked the Torys down a peg or two, literally.
