Orkney campaigners for Scottish independence have signed a letter accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of snubbing democracy and devolution after he dismissed the idea of a second referendum should the SNP win the 2026 Scottish Election.

Yes Orkney said they will never accept the anti-democratic stance of Unionist parties at Westminster after UK Labour leader Sir Keir said he would not be allowing the people of Scotland a choice over their future.

Other signatories to the letter include journalist Lesley Riddoch, Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp of Business for Scotland, and former BBC Scotland presenter Ken Macdonald.

And Yes Orkney joined forces with Orkney SNP to reject any suggestion that a majority of voters in Scotland are not interested in gaining full powers over their future.

With the latest polls showing 54% support for independence, Fiona Matheson from Yes Orkney, said:

“Full democratic power is denied to the people of Scotland and Sir Keir Starmer has no right to withhold our choices from us.

“The word ‘democracy’ may produce an eyeroll from many, but it is the most important word that you will ever hear. Its overuse has distanced many from its core meaning and function and this is not accidental.

“Democracy is about choices and priorities made by ordinary people who then agree to implement the choices that were made by the majority taking part. Democracy was never given freely to anyone. Over centuries it was fought for, with incrementally more people being ‘allowed’ to vote, men with property, all men, women with property, young people.

“When democratic rights are given the struggle is then to maintain them as there are many that would see their own advantage in removing hard won rights from others.

“Wars have been fought over the right to democracy and every generation has a different kind of struggle to retain their right to vote and have their choices respected.

“Our battle for Scottish democracy is happening right now and everyone is needed to help preserve the limited democracy we have been granted by those who would seek to dictate our rights to us. Not only must we preserve what little we have but we must ensure that every Scot knows without a doubt that to deny us a vote on the future of our very own country is anti-democratic.

“Our rights are withheld because it is in the interests of others that we are denied our rights – our choices to make and implement our own collective decisions.

“We are denied the right to use our resources for the benefit or our people.

“We watch as our children suffer insecure housing, anxiety and poverty, our old people worry about the winter cold and their bills and too many blot out hopelessness with addictions.

“These are the fundamental rights to choose where we could make different priorities than those being dictated to us by London governments at Westminster.”

And Orkney SNP convener Robert Leslie, who is the party’s candidate for the Scottish Elections in May 2026, also criticised the Prime Minister’s intervention.

Mr Leslie said:

“I am a candidate for the party that is currently governing Scotland with one hand tied behind its back, given the lack of control we have over defence, energy, immigration, most taxation, benefits, telecommunications, broadcasting, and many other critical areas.

“My stance will always be that decisions on issues are best made as close to where the problem lies, so the people of Scotland, and in turn we in Orkney, should have far more powers over deciding our future.

“For Keir Starmer to come to Scotland and try to tell us why we can’t decide our own democratic future, is yet another sign of how out of touch the UK Westminster system is with Scotland. Time and again we have seen damaging decisions made by a Labour government in London that promised ‘Change’. It certainly hasn’t been for the better for families in Orkney struggling through a continued cost-of-living crisis and high electricity costs.

“I came into politics through Yes Orkney, campaigning for independence since 2012, and I continue to do so. When the time is right it will be the people of Scotland – not a distant government in London – that will have a say on whether we want to make our own decisions about our future, or continue to have to mitigate against damaging policies made in Westminster.”