Spain sacks Edinburgh consul after saying country would welcome an independent Scotland

A SPANISH diplomat who appeared to back Scottish independence has been sacked by Madrid.

Miguel Ángel Vecino was the Spanish consul in Edinburgh until it came to light that he had written a letter saying Spain would not block an independent Scotland from joining the EU and would not make the nation “stand in line.”

This is at odds with Spain’s historical stance, which is much less clear-cut as it is wary of providing a precedent for Catalonia’s independence movement.

Spain’s Foreign Ministry was less than amused and said in a statement to El Pais newspaper: “The Consul General in Edinburgh, Mr Vecino, does not exercise functions of political representation of Spain, which is why we consider that he has clearly exceeded his functions by directing the letter to said newspaper.

“It is not up to him to make this type of statements of a political nature.”

It added: “For the reasons mentioned, we can confirm that Mr Vecino has already been informed of his dismissal last Thursday.”