One of Scotland’s top legal experts has demanded an apology from an MSP for treating him with disrespect.
Professor Adam Tomkins said he was furious that he was repeatedly interrupted by nationalist Willie Coffey while highlighting “inaccurate” information in the Scottish Government’s white paper.
Prof Tomkins – an expert in public law at Glasgow University – claims assertions that an independent state would be entitled to a fair share of the UK’s extensive overseas properties such as embassies have no basis in law.
The heated exchanges happened during a meeting of Holyrood’s European and external affairs committee yesterday.
Mr Coffey said: “I’m a wee bit disappointed by the tone of some of Prof Tomkins’ contributions here.
“It’s almost as if there’s going to be a great big bunfight, a battle, arguments, disagreements and aggression after independence.
“If you’re right that in international law that the UK ‘keeps everything’ and we start from scratch, I would suggest that’s not how it will play out.”
As Mr Tomkins started to explain himself Mr Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, began shouting across the room, before both were silenced by committee convener Christina McKelvie, who said the discussion was becoming “contentious”.
Labour MSPs Patricia Ferguson and Alex Rowley loudly protested along with Highland Conservative MSP Jamie McGrigor.
Prof Tomkins, a public law expert, was only allowed to return to his point 25 minutes later.
Speaking after the session, he claimed Mr Coffey had reacted to his evidence in “intemperate and inaccurate terms” and repeatedly interrupted him.
“I will be seeking a written apology from the member concerned because I think he treated me with disrespect,” he added.
Mr Coffey refused to comment on Prof Tomkins’s call for a written apology.
Ms McKelvie said she closed down the discussions because there was a “dual exchange across the table and that’s what I wanted to stop”.
