SNP branded 'shameless' in bid to drop oath of allegiance to King Charles

Grenada is one of 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, where His Majesty King Charles III reigns as Head of State.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Stewart said: "Grenada has decided to drop the oath of allegiance to the King, isn’t it time that Scotland followed their lead?

"I’ve lodged a Scottish Parliament calling for us to have the power to have MSPs pledge their allegiance to the people of Scotland and not the British crown."

Under the Scotland Act 1998, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) must take an oath of allegiance, or make a solemn affirmation, before they can take part in parliamentary business.

If they refuse, they cannot sit, speak, or vote in the Scottish Parliament; similar rules apply in all Parliaments and Legislatures across the United Kingdom.

The Aberdeen's Central MSP's lodged motion reads: "That the Parliament commends Grenada’s reported decision to drop the oath of allegiance to the British crown and replace it with a pledge of allegiance to Grenada; recognises that the people of Scotland are sovereign, and believes that Scotland’s Parliament should have the power to follow Grenada’s lead and have its members pledge allegiance to the people of Scotland and not an unelected monarch."

The Scottish Conservatives have accused the SNP of focusing on "constitutional navel gazing" instead of "tackling real priorities".

Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser told GB News: “This is a shameless bid from an SNP MSP to try and pander to republican voters inside and outside of his party. The reality is that the King and the monarchy remain one of the most loved and respected institutions across Scotland.

“Most people will wonder why nationalist MSPs are focusing on this constitutional navel gazing at a time when they should be tackling the real priorities of Scots. They want this SNP Government to be focused on reducing NHS waiting times, growing the economy and restoring standards in our schools, rather than engaging in the worst sort of petty student politics.”

When approached for comment by GB News, Mr Stewart said: "My loyalty is to the folk of Aberdeen and to the people of Scotland as a whole, and every politician should feel likewise.

"It is quite galling that a Tory has the audacity to talk about pandering when their entire ethos at the moment is to pander to Nigel Farage, Reform and the far right."

Will the oath be dropped?

If the motion gains enough support, it could be debated in Holyrood, but any vote passed in the chamber would not have the power to change the law.

This is because the Scotland Act 1998 is a piece of UK-wide legislation passed in Westminster, so the Scottish Parliament cannot override the requirements to swear allegiance to the King.

A change in the law would be required from the UK Parliament in Westminster, or further powers would need to be devolved to Holyrood.

In July 2024, Labour MP Clive Lewis was warned by House of Commons officials that he could be breaching the law for refusing to properly swear allegiance to the King during his swearing-in ceremony.

Originally, Mr Lewis delivered a political statement before he partially swore allegiance, saying: "I take this oath under protest, and in the hope that one day my fellow citizens will democratically decide to live in a republic."

He then reluctantly swore allegiance to the King, but refused to do the same for "his heirs and successors" - Prince William and Prince George are first and second in line to the throne.

Instead of risking a fine or his seat being vacated under the Parliamentary Oaths Act 1866, Mr Lewis chose to take his oath correctly at a later date.

So far, Kevin Stewart's motion is being supported by 10 fellow SNP's, one Labour, and one Green Party politician.