The Hero
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- Jun 29, 2008
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[*=left]Warning came as Labour pledged to join forces with the Coalition to save the 300-year-old Union with England
[*=left]Scottish government furious at PM David Cameron's attempts to wrestle control back from First Minister Alex Salmond
Scots will be told that a vote for independence will mean them being forced to ditch the pound and join the faltering euro.
The warning came as Labour pledged to join forces with the Coalition to save the 300-year-old Union with England.
As senior Labour figures signalled their backing for David Camerons high-risk attempt to force Holyrood to hold an independence referendum quickly, Government sources said Scotlands future in the EU would be a central issue.
The Scottish National party and its leader Alex Salmond, pictured right accused Mr Cameron, pictured left, of dictating the terms of a referendum to Scotland
Constitutional experts believe an independent Scotland would be forced to reapply for EU membership and, like all new members, would have to commit to joining the ill-fated single currency.
Scotlands nationalist government reacted with fury yesterday to the Prime Ministers attempts to wrestle control back from First Minister Alex Salmond.
The SNP claimed Mr Cameron was attempting to dictate to Scotland the terms of a referendum a strategy that would only increase support for leaving the UK.
Tensions also emerged last night in the Coalition over the idea of imposing an 18-month deadline for a legally binding referendum.
Government legal advice published today will confirm an independence referendum can only be legally valid if both Westminster and Holyrood parliaments agree to it going ahead.
Mr Salmond is thought to want to conduct the poll in 2014 to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, Scotlands most famous military victory over England.
It is understood he hopes resentment over Government austerity measures will be at a peak then.
A senior Government source last night said the offer to the SNP will include four key requirements a sunset clause, to ensure the referendum is held sooner rather than later; a simple yes/no question to ensure Mr Salmond does not attempt a second question on independence lite; oversight by the independent Electoral Commission; and no vote for anyone aged 16 and 17.
The source suggested that the Government may order a referendum itself if Mr Salmond drags his feet and refuses to hold a ballot.
Mr Cameron, who has ordered Chancellor George Osborne to take charge of the campaign to save the Union, said he was not trying to dictate to Scotland.
But he insisted the current uncertainty was damaging Scotlands economy, with businesses unsure whether to invest because of the question marks over its future.
I think it is at least rational to put to the Scottish people, would it be better to have a more fair and decisive question put earlier? the Prime Minister said.
Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said last night: We want the referendum to be held as quickly as possible and we want it to be run in Scotland. If these proposals help there to be a quick, clear and decisive result we would welcome them.
A spokesman for Mr Salmond said: The days of Tory governments at Westminster determining what happens in Scotland on the basis of one MP one fewer than pandas in Scotland are over.
But Dr Jo Murkens, senior lecturer in law at the London School of Economics, said claims the country could remain in the EU and keep the pound were bizarre.
Continued membership would only be possible with the approval of all 27 member states, she said. An independent Scotland would have to join the EU as a new accession state, which could take years.
All the new member states are legally obliged to adopt the euro at some future point.