Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate

Reform MSPs have walked out of the Holyrood chamber in protest against a debate about Scottish independence.

The party's Scottish leader Malcolm Offord, who had tried to have the debate cancelled because it related to non-devolved matters, described it as an insult and a waste of time.

He then led his MSPs out of the chamber, to jeers from the rest of the parliament.

It came after First Minister John Swinney tabled a non-binding motion asserting Scotland's right to decide its constitutional future - which passed with support from Labour and the Greens.

Offord told MSPs: "This debate is an insult to the Scottish electorate who expect politicians to deal with serious issues in their communities."

Announcing that he would withdraw his amendment and leave the chamber, Offord said: "We did not come into this parliament to waste our time on vanity projects."

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer quipped that he hoped a nearby pub had extra staff on this afternoon, adding: "They may be busy."

Presiding Officer Kenneth Gibson described Reform's "antics" as "a gross discourtesy to all members of the chamber".

Earlier, Swinney told parliament that his motion was a "vital question to debate".