ABERDEENSHIRE Council has become the first in Scotland to vote in favour of holding another referendum on Brexit.
A combination of Green, SNP, LibDem and Independent councillors outnumbered the authority’s dominant Conservative group in a fiercely contested vote on Thursday.
The Tories accused the SNP of “betraying” the fishing communities of the north east, who voted heavily for Brexit in order to leave the Common Fisheries Policy.
The LibDems also said the vote was embarrassing for Nicola Sturgeon, as it showed her councillors had shown more leadership on a People’s Vote than she had.
Both the original Green motion and an SNP amendment included the demand for “a further referendum to give the UK public the final say on any terms agreed for Brexit, that referendum to include the option of the UK remaining in the EU”.
Among those SNP councillors supporting it were representatives from the coastal wards of Fraserburgh, Banff, Troup and Peterhead.
As the council has no power over another referendum, the vote was symbolic, but was still the first of its kind in Scotland and pointed to a potential shift in SNP attitudes.
Ms Sturgeon has refused to endorse a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal, apparently worried about setting a precedent that could lead to re-run of a Yes vote on independence.
However with the Labour party edging toward the LibDem position of backing another referendum, the First Minister does not want to be left closer to the Tories, who oppose it.
David Duguid, the Tory MP for Banff and Buchan, said he was “astonished” that SNP representatives in fishing communities would try to revisit the 2016 result.
He said: “People voted to leave for a number of different reasons. But in coastal communities like those across Banff and Buchan, many people just wanted out of the CFP.
“Failure to respect the outcome of the vote would be an utter betrayal of our fishermen and a travesty for democracy in this country.
“The question for Nicola Sturgeon is – does she agree with her SNP councillors in Aberdeenshire and is she also willing to disregard the views of our fishermen?”
Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie said: “This is a lightning bolt from the grassroots targeted right at the SNP and Labour leaderships.
"The First Minister says she will not stand in the way of a People's Vote but she is having to be dragged to the table when she should be out front passionately making the case for the whole of the UK to remain in the EU. The public must be given their right to avert economic disaster with a final say on the Brexit deal."
Aberdeenshire SNP councillor Richard Thomson said his group had recognised the severe damage Brexit would have upon Aberdeenshire, which the Tories seemed to be ignoring.
He said: “That damage will be acutely felt by key North East industries such as our food and drink and oil and gas sectors.
“When jobs are lost, the Tories will be to blame.
“When exports of Scottish seafood face lengthy delays at the border, the Tories will be to blame. And when our fishing fleet is sold out as part of a Brexit trade-off, the Tories will be to blame.
"It is simply a fact that to protect jobs and household incomes after Brexit we must remain in the single market and customs union.
"Meanwhile, we'll leave the Tories to act as cheerleaders for Theresa May's botched negotiations, as they ignore the will of people in Aberdeenshire and across Scotland who voted to Remain in the EU."
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