Scottish Parliament – Jan. 9, 2025 – 3
Building a Migration System that Supports Scotland’s Economy, Public Services and Communities (Amendment 1)
Result
✅ Motion passed.
Aye: 68 MSPs
No: 28 MSPs
Absent: 13 MSPs
Abstain: 21 MSPs
Parliamentary analysis
Divided opposition: Government Aye, Opposition dividedThis vote is most similar to a group of votes where the government is proposing a motion, but there is division among opposition MPs/parties in opposing it (but generally, leaning against).
Motion
Motion type: Amendment(?)
S6M-16034.1: As an amendment to motion S6M-16034 in the name of Kaukab Stewart (Building a Migration System that Supports Scotland’s Economy, Public Services and Communities), insert at end ";
remains committed to ensuring that all migrants in Scotland have all of their rights fulfilled;
recognises the pervasive and increasingly hostile anti-migrant rhetoric from some politicians and media sources;
believes that further action is required by both the UK and Scottish governments to support people displaced due to the climate crisis, and calls on the UK Government to remove the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions that limit the support and services available to many, especially those seeking asylum."
Original motion(S6M-16034): That the Parliament recognises the social, economic and cultural contribution made to Scotland by those who have chosen to live here;
notes the establishment of Scotland’s Migration Service at a cost of up to £1.5 million in the draft Budget 2025-26 to help employers, investors and individuals navigate the UK immigration system;
further notes that the Parliament has previously endorsed a motion calling for the development of a differentiated, more flexible migration policy tailored to meet Scotland’s specific needs, and calls on the UK Government to accept the Rural Visa Pilot proposal and to work directly and constructively with the Scottish Government to ensure that the needs of Scotland’s employers, communities and public services are fully reflected within the immigration system.
Annotations
No annotations for this decision.
Whip reports
No whip reports for this decision.
Overall counts
| Grouping | MSPs on date | Vote participant count | For motion | Against motion | Neutral motion | Absent motion | Turnout | For motion percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All MSPs | 130 | 96 | 68 | 28 | 21 | 13 | 73.85% | 70.83% |
Government counts
| Grouping | MSPs on date | Vote participant count | For motion | Against motion | Neutral motion | Absent motion | Turnout | For motion percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | 66 | 37 | 10 | 27 | 21 | 8 | 56.06% | 27.03% |
| Government | 64 | 59 | 58 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 92.19% | 98.31% |
Party voting counts
| Grouping | MSPs on date | Vote participant count | For motion | Against motion | Neutral motion | Absent motion | Party turnout | For motion percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish National Party | 64 | 59 | 58 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 92.19% | 98.31% |
| Labour | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 0.00% | n/a |
| Liberal Democrat | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 75.00% | 100.00% |
| Conservative | 31 | 27 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 87.10% | 0.00% |
| Green | 8 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 87.50% | 100.00% |
Voting list
| Person | Party | Vote | Party alignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Lochhead | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Shona Robison | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Alex Rowley | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Audrey Nicoll | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Ross Greer | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Ash Denham | Scottish National Party | No | 1.69% |
| Maggie Chapman | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Rhoda Grant | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Paul McLennan | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Angus Robertson | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Elizabeth Smith | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Kevin Stewart | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| David Torrance | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Craig Hoy | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| George Adam | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Gordon MacDonald | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Edward Mountain | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Michael Matheson | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Alexander Stewart | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Neil Gray | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Richard Leonard | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Liam Kerr | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Joe FitzPatrick | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Gillian Martin | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Fergus Ewing | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Karen Adam | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Stephanie Callaghan | Scottish National Party | Absent | n/a |
| Jamie Greene | Conservative | Absent | n/a |
| Finlay Carson | Conservative | Absent | n/a |
| Stephen Kerr | Conservative | Absent | n/a |
| Beatrice Wishart | Liberal Democrat | Absent | n/a |
| Ariane Burgess | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Jamie Halcro Johnston | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Willie Rennie | Liberal Democrat | Aye | 100.00% |
| Carol Mochan | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Stuart McMillan | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Pam Duncan-Glancy | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Paul Sweeney | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Jackson Carlaw | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Paul O'Kane | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Mairi Gougeon | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Alasdair Allan | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Jenny Gilruth | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Angela Constance | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Bill Kidd | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Baroness Clark | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Shirley-Anne Somerville | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Neil Bibby | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Ivan McKee | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Murdo Fraser | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Nicola Sturgeon | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Rachael Hamilton | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Jackie Dunbar | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Kenneth Gibson | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Annabelle Ewing | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Michelle Thomson | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Màiri McAllan | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Douglas Ross | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Ben Macpherson | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Jamie Hepburn | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Meghan Gallacher | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Maurice Golden | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Willie Coffey | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| John Swinney | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Monica Lennon | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Keith Brown | Scottish National Party | Absent | n/a |
| Davy Russell | Labour | Absent | n/a |
| Graham Simpson | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Maree Todd | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Alexander Burnett | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Mark Griffin | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Christina McKelvie | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Collette Stevenson | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Alex Cole-Hamilton | Liberal Democrat | Aye | 100.00% |
| Clare Haughey | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Foysol Choudhury | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Sandesh Gulhane | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Ruth Maguire | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Colin Beattie | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Roz McCall | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Christine Grahame | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Bob Doris | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Brian Whittle | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Fiona Hyslop | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Douglas Lumsden | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Tom Arthur | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Jackie Baillie | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Kate Forbes | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Natalie Don | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Mercedes Villalba | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Evelyn Tweed | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Jeremy Balfour | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Daniel Johnson | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Emma Roddick | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| James Dornan | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Alison Johnstone | Green | Absent | n/a |
| Liam McArthur | Liberal Democrat | Aye | 100.00% |
| Sarah Boyack | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Miles Briggs | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Martin Whitfield | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Sue Webber | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Rona Mackay | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| John Mason | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Mark Ruskell | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Patrick Harvie | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Anas Sarwar | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Pam Gosal | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Tim Eagle | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Pauline McNeill | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Annie Wells | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Jenni Minto | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Elena Whitham | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Siobhian Brown | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Tess White | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Marie McNair | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Graeme Dey | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Sharon Dowey | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Oliver Mundell | Conservative | No | 100.00% |
| Fulton MacGregor | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Humza Yousaf | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Claire Baker | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Colin Smyth | Labour | Abstain | n/a |
| Emma Harper | Scottish National Party | Aye | 98.31% |
| Lorna Slater | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Gillian Mackay | Green | Aye | 100.00% |
| Clare Adamson | Scottish National Party | Absent | n/a |
| Russell Findlay | Conservative | Absent | n/a |
| Kaukab Stewart | Scottish National Party | Absent | n/a |
| Jim Fairlie | Scottish National Party | Absent | n/a |
| Michael Marra | Labour | Absent | n/a |