Broken A9 dualling promise prompts a first for Strathspey MSP Fergus Ewing

Fergus Ewing voted against SNP colleagues in response to the party's broken pledge to dual the A9 by 2025.

Although the Inverness and Nairn MSP wasn't in the chamber – due personal reasons – he sided with opponents who criticised his party.

Mr Ewing said: "I voted against the party line for the A9 dualling and for the first time in 23 years as MSP, and nearly 50 years in the party, I voted against my own party on an issue other than one of conscience."

He has been vocal in his anger about the situation since Scottish Government admitted earlier this month that dualling of the Inverness-Perth road by 2025 would be "unachievable".

The Inverness Courier’s viral front page on the A9 – seen by at least half a million people – was held up in the Scottish Parliament during the debate.

MSP Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, pointed out no SNP members from the area took part in the debate.

The lack of local SNP representation was also criticised by Tory MSP Murdo Fraser stated: "Appalling that SNP MSPs representing Perthshire and the Highlands just voted en masse against a motion calling for urgent progress on dualling the A9 from Perth to Inverness."

A promise to fully dual the single carriageway between Perth and Inverness by 2025 was first made in a 2007 SNP manifesto and was committed in the SNP government’s infrastructure plan in 2011.

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