THE DEBATE around another independence referendum is taking time away from other “pressing issues” in Scotland, an MP has claimed.

Welsh Labour MP Chris Evans made the comments during a debate on a petition submitted to the UK Government, urging officials not to grant the Scottish Government permission to hold another vote.

More than 110,000 people signed the appeal, however MPs heard that those responsible for setting it up wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from those in favour of independence.

Labour MP Chris Evans, who presented the petition, explained: “In preparation for this speech, I spoke to the petitioner, who wishes to remain anonymous because they fear the abuse they will receive for creating a petition on this subject.

“They know that the independence debate has become extremely divisive; unfortunately, a lot of the political discussion around independence is not constructive or measured, but deeply emotive and all-consuming.”

He added: “The creator of the petition believes that the focus of political debate in Scotland has been too centred on independence, at the expense of other, extremely important issues; they feel that political time and resources have been funnelled into debates on independence instead of being used to address pressing issues in Scotland. “

John Nicholson, SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthshire said that an independent Scotland was “about getting the Governments we vote for and holding them to account” adding that Scotland could become “the most liberal, socially progressive country in Europe.”

He said: “It is about being a beacon of democracy and freedom to countries yearning for both. An independent Scotland would not have gone to war in Iraq. It would not have bombed the Syrians or supplied weapons to the Saudis. An independent Scotland would not have nuclear weapons.”

Mr Nicolson said that the union “could have survived” following the failed 2014 referendum under a “more nimble Westminster establishment”, but added: “Instead, drunk on victory, they crashed on into a Brexit campaign and imposed the hardest of Brexits on a country that did not want it. Brexit represents the triumph of the English nationalists over the Unionists in the Conservative party.”

Conservative David Mundell, former Secretary of State for Scotland, said Mr Nicolson was the “MP for an alternative universe” and added: “So much for the Edinburgh Agreement which was described as a gold standard by Alex Salmond, of course Alex Salmond who at that time, the same people who are decrying him today were describing as the father of our nation and somebody whose word could be relied on.”

Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative leader and MP for Moray, said that pushing for another referendum was likely to create division, and disclosed that someone had been charged following “graphic death threats” made against him and another politician.

He said: “I found out from the police that someone has been charged with making a very graphic death threat against me and another Scottish politician.

“That is the state of politics in Scotland right now. That is what the SNP wants to take us back to, and it is what the SNP wants us to debate in the days, weeks and months ahead. We do not need the division that separates families and workplaces and that divides communities all over again. What we need is a laser-like focus in the next Scottish Parliament on ensuring that we can recover from covid-19 and rebuild from this pandemic.”

SNP MP Mhairi Black added that “a lot has changed” since the 2014 referendum, explaining that it was for the electorate to vote for whichever party they believed represented their hopes for the future.

She said: “There was nothing in the Edinburgh Agreement stating that there would never be another independence referendum. In fact, there was cross party agreement, that nothing contained on the Smith Commission prevents Scotland becoming independent in the future.

“I remember back then watching the debates where the idea of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister was laughed off; the possibility that Scotland would be dragged out of the EU against its will was dismissed as scaremongering. Since then, any attempt to say that there hasn't been a material change is wishful thinking at best.”