Cross-Party support: Russell and Purvis join pro-EU organisation as honorary presidents

Scotland’s leading pro-European campaigning body, the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), has underlined its cross-party credentials by choosing a former SNP cabinet secretary and a former Conservative MEP as its new honorary presidents.

Mike Russell, MSP until May this year and former Scottish Government cabinet secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, and John Purvis, a Tory MEP for 15 years, jointly take over the post bequeathed to them by (Lord) Ming Campbell, the LibDem peer.

They were unanimously confirmed in their new posts at the EMiS annual general meeting in Edinburgh which reaffirmed its commitment to Scotland rejoining the European Union as soon as possible – whether in its own right as an independent state or as part of the UK. As a non-party/cross-party body EMiS is neutral on Scottish independence.

Separately, EMiS is to launch a campaign for Scotland and/or the UK to rejoin the single market and customs union as the devastating economic and social effects of Brexit are revealed daily.

The launch will coincide with the latest EMiS webinar debate on the same topic on December 8 (see here for details: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-should-we-re-join-the-single-market-andor-customs-union-tickets-211307254687).

Speakers include:

• Philippa Whitford MP, SNP Commons spokesman on Europe (and health);
• David Broucher, a former UK diplomat/ambassador in, among other places, Bonn and Prague;
• Peter Sellar, an EU lawyer specialising in regulatory affairs and author of a paper on this topic for the Scottish Independence Convention.

David Clarke, Vice-Chair of EMiS commented: “Our choice of new Honorary Presidents underlines the cross-party consensus in Scotland for rejoining the European Union, with membership of the single market and customs union a first stage.

“John Purvis is a long-standing Conservative with deep roots in the EU and European financial services, while Mike Russell’s commitment to Europe as an SNP politician, minister and thinker is unmatched. Our campaign to rejoin the EU steps up a gear with our latest webinar on 8th December and throughout 2022.”