Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has urged the Scottish people to vote to remain within the Union.
Speaking in a debate at Westminster on the subject of Scottish Independence, Lord Empey said:
“The union is not all about arithmetic. I take my own region of Northern Ireland as an example. We are hewn from the same rock as the people of Scotland in many cases, and we have much in common. We have an industrial heritage and we suffered in many cases from the same downstream consequences of that heritage. We have soldiered together for centuries. We share different and religious sporting traditions and we share our geography. Our history is so intertwined that the idea of separation fills many of us with dread.
“On behalf of my party, the Ulster Unionist Party, and as our name suggest, I appeal to the people of Scotland not to leave us. We are partners and share many of the same aspirations. We are literally kith and kin. We would not be well served by their departure. I hope that they will stay with us. We can work together to build a stronger and better union.
“Scotland, like many of our regions, including that of our Welsh colleagues, punched way above its weight. That will not be possible, with the greatest of respect, in an independent Scotland. Stay with us; work with us; and the next 300 years will be far better than the last.”