Robert McNeill, Tranent Labour Party Branch Chair and local Better Together co-ordinator, has welcomed the outcome of the recent Ross High School mock independence referendum.

Speaking after the vote, in which S4, 5 & 6 pupils voted ‘no’ to Scottish independence by a margin of nearly two to one, Mr McNeill said:

“First and foremost I want to congratulate all of the staff and pupils at Ross High who were involved in this mock referendum and the activity that took place in the run-up to the vote. It was a great example of how to positively encourage young people’s interest and engagement in the referendum process.

“Of course, I also welcome the fact that a significant majority of the pupils who cast their votes believed that Scotland is better off remaining within the UK. This result also seems to be in line with a majority of similar mock votes that have been taking place in other schools across Scotland.

“However, I hope the main legacy of this exercise will be that more local 16 and 17-year-olds will feel confident about having their say in the real referendum in September.”