Broken A9 dualling promise prompts Fergus Ewing to vote against SNP for first time ever
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Fergus Ewing voted against SNP colleagues in response to the party's broken pledge to dual the A9 by 2025.
Although the Inverness and Nairn MSP wasn't in the chamber – due personal reasons – he sided with opponents who criticised his party.
Mr Ewing said: "I voted against the party line for the A9 dualling and for the first time in 23 years as MSP, and nearly 50 years in the party, I voted against my own party on an issue other than one of conscience."
He has been vocal in his anger about the situation since Scottish Government admitted earlier this month that dualling of the Inverness-Perth road by 2025 would be "unachievable".
The Inverness Courier’s viral front page on the A9 – seen by at least half a million people – was held up in the Scottish Parliament during the debate.
MSP Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, pointed out no SNP members from the area took part in the debate.
The lack of local SNP representation was also criticised by Tory MSP Murdo Fraser stated: "Appalling that SNP MSPs representing Perthshire and the Highlands just voted en masse against a motion calling for urgent progress on dualling the A9 from Perth to Inverness."
A promise to fully dual the single carriageway between Perth and Inverness by 2025 was first made in a 2007 SNP manifesto and was committed in the SNP government’s infrastructure plan in 2011.
Scottish Labour have accused the SNP of doubling down on their broken promises.
The party said the vote exposed the SNP’s “empty promises” on the A9.
Scottish Labour Transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: “The SNP claimed they were still absolutely committed to dualling the A9, but today they have abandoned these empty promises by voting against their own position.
“It is shameful that the SNP-Green government have refused to acknowledge that this deadly road needs upgraded as a matter of urgency.
“The SNP are putting their coalition deal with the Greens ahead of Highland communities.
“This vote is just the latest example of the chaos and splits engulfing this out-of-touch SNP government.”
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the situation.
“SNP Highlands and Islands MSPs have abandoned the transport minister over the A9," she said. "The Scottish Labour Party with its amendment was looking for confirmation from the Scottish Government that they remained committed to dualling the road but they voted against their own stated position.
“Communities throughout the Highlands and Islands are outraged, and rightly so. The SNP-Green Scottish Government now needs to apologise to these communities and come clean about their future plans for the A9.”
