Alyn Smith (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, I represent Scotland within this House, and the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome is somewhat bittersweet from our perspective. It is right that we should celebrate our common values, solidarity, cooperation, multilateralism, the acknowledgement that any problem that we face is bigger than any one country, however big, however small. But it is also right that we should reflect on just how fragile those values and that progress truly are. Trust me: the ingredients of Brexit exist in every one of our European countries. We cannot be complacent.

I will also be in Rome next weekend, in my kilt, marching alongside you, working with you, to celebrate and defend our European values, because Scotland shares those European values – and those values must be defended. And Scotland faces the prospect of being removed from our family of nations, against our clearly-expressed democratic will. It is not fair, and if the EU is not a community of justice, law and democracy, what are we for?

You will be aware, of course, that this week the government of Scotland has put the question of independence back on the table. We do that out of complete frustration at the intransigence of the UK Government. President Tusk, when you say that the EU will not be intimidated by threats from the London Government, I assure you, neither will Scotland. We will not be intimidated. We will not be silent within this process. We are citizens, not subjects. We will not be passive bystanders. Independence is one of many possible futures. I believe solutions can be found. We will look to our friends and our allies.