Parliament Workbench
Data: Votes to 12 Nov 2026

Vote · 7 Feb 2017

Article 50

Motion For Debate Motion S5M-03858 Lodged by Michael Russell SNP as amended by Green
Carried by 56
90 For 34 Against 0 Abstained 5 Did not vote

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The SNP’s motion was changed by a Green amendment (S5M-03858.2) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for the SNP’s motion with the Greens’ changes.

That the Parliament agrees with all but one of Scotland’s MPs that the UK Government’s European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill should not proceed, as the UK Government has set out no provision for effective consultation with the devolved administrations on reaching an agreed UK approach to the negotiations on implementing Article 50, has refused to give a guarantee on the position of EU nationals in the UK, has left unanswered a range of detailed questions covering many policy areas regarding the full implications of withdrawal from the single market, and has provided no assurance that a future parliamentary vote on the outcome of the negotiations will be anything other than irrelevant, as withdrawal from the EU follows two years after the invoking of Article 50 if agreement is not reached in the forthcoming negotiations, unless they are prolonged by unanimity.S5M-03858.2 Green ; notes the widespread scepticism that an agreement on the future relationship of the UK and EU can be reached within two years; is concerned by the lack of any proposed transitional arrangements until such an agreement is in place, and believes that the decision to proceed with the bill does not respect the majority vote to remain part of the EU that was returned in every council area in Scotland.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

  1. S5M-03858.3 Conservative John Lamont Defeated vote, 31–92
  2. S5M-03858.1 Labour Lewis Macdonald Defeated vote, 20–102
  3. S5M-03858.2 Green Ross Greer Agreed vote, 72–33
  4. S5M-03858.4 Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie Defeated vote, 5–119
The motion as originally lodged by the SNP (not what was voted on)

That the Parliament agrees with all but one of Scotland’s MPs that the UK Government’s European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill should not proceed, as the UK Government has set out no provision for effective consultation with the devolved administrations on reaching an agreed UK approach to the negotiations on implementing Article 50, has refused to give a guarantee on the position of EU nationals in the UK, has left unanswered a range of detailed questions covering many policy areas regarding the full implications of withdrawal from the single market, and has provided no assurance that a future parliamentary vote on the outcome of the negotiations will be anything other than irrelevant, as withdrawal from the EU follows two years after the invoking of Article 50 if agreement is not reached in the forthcoming negotiations, unless they are prolonged by unanimity.

How the parties split

3 MSPs voted against their party
PartySplitForAgainstAbst.AbsentMajority
SNP 61 0 0 2 ✓ For united
Con 0 31 0 0 ✗ Against united
Lab 18 3 0 2 ✓ For split
Green 6 0 0 0 ✓ For united
LD 5 0 0 0 ✓ For united
NPA 0 0 0 1 n/a

Party is the MSP's party on the day of the vote. Majority is how most of the party's voting MSPs voted.

Every MSP

129 MSPs

For (90)
SNP 61
Lab 18
Green 6
LD 5

Against (34)
Con 31
Lab 3

Did not vote (5)
SNP 2
Lab 2
NPA 1