A campaign has been launched to enable the newly constituted Holyrood parliament to drop the oath to the Queen and, instead, allow MSPs to pledge allegiance to the people of Scotland.

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The body behind the move is Republic, which wants to abolish the monarchy and replace it with a directly-elected head of state. It has set up an online petition to create its desired change.

"When we witness democracy in action, voters across Scotland and the rest of the UK freely choosing their representatives, it is galling to think we still pledge allegiance to a monarch,” declared Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive.

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"The people of Scotland elect their MSPs, so it should be to the people of Scotland that members owe their allegiance," he insisted.

Mr Smith said the move was not just symbolic, it affected the political culture in Edinburgh and in London.

“As MSPs prepare to take their oath it's time to talk about why they should pledge their allegiance to the people, not to the Queen.

"We need to instil a truly democratic culture in our parliaments and assemblies. At the moment, the oath taken by MSPs makes no mention of Scotland or the voters at all."

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Mr Smith added: "We know Westminster will need to agree any change but the Scottish Parliament can take a lead on this issue. That's why we're asking people to sign the petition and demand a change of oath."

The petition is being run through the 38 Degrees website and can be found at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/scottish-parliament-a-new-oath-of-allegiance-to-the-people-not-the-queen.