SNP MSPs have been accused of “mob rule” amid angry clashes with business leaders at a Holyrood.
One member of the Scottish Parliament’s economy committee had to be told to stop “badgering” CBI director Iain McMillan, while another was pulled up for accusing him of engaging in a “polemic” against independence.
The ill-tempered exchanges came at the start of a committee hearing into Scotland’s economic future.
Mr McMillan, who publicly opposes independence, ran through a list of key issues including currency, EU membership, the deficit and what he called the “fragmentation” of the UK market.
He said: “This (independence) would not be a land of milk and honey. It would be extremely difficult with many painful decisions to be taken.”
After almost 10 minutes of his statement, SNP member Mike MacKenzie cut Mr McMillan off, asking: “Have you any idea how long this polemic is going to continue for, because we do have questions?”
Mr McMillan, who continued for another couple of minutes, was then pressed by SNP member Chic Brodie on his previous criticism of devolution.
“You were wrong then, weren’t you?” Mr Brodie asked. As the two men began to noisily speak over each other, committee convener Murdo Fraser was forced to intervene.
After the meeting, Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said the incident was an “attempt at ganging up and mob rule in a committee”.
Labour’s Margaret McDougall said: “When even the most senior members of the SNP behave like school ground bullies in parliament, we know we have reached a very sorry state of affairs.”
An SNP spokeswoman said: “Scottish Parliament committee proceedings are matters for the committees and their members.
“This looks like Tory and Labour MSPs ganging up to manufacture a row.”
The committee later heard from Jimmy Reid Foundation director Robin McAlpine, who said the risks of independence have probably been overstated and are “largely temporary”.
Stephen Boyd, assistant secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, also used the later session to say that constitutional change would help achieve a “rebalancing” of the economy.
But he stressed taxation would need to rise for Scotland to achieve a more Scandinavian society, with greater levels of public services.