Independence referendum war of words heats up with a year to go

Yes camp claim only 25% of Scots will definitely vote against independence

The leader of the pro-independence campaign has claimed just one in four Scots will definitely vote No in next year’s referendum.

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of Yes Scotland, said he believes the No vote is so soft that only around 25% of voters are “core” pro-Union claiming the figure had been quoted privately by rivals

Better Together.

The claim which flies in the face of current polling has come as both sides of the referendum battle step up their activity to mark nearly a year to go until the country goes to the polls.

Alex Salmond has revealed Scots will have to wait until November before they get their hands on his white paper “blueprint” for separation.

A series of developments ahead of tomorrow’s “one year to go” milestone included:

Mr Salmond calling for a TV referendum debate with David Cameron on St Andrew’s Day

Better Together leader Alistair Darling challenging the First Minister to their own TV debate

The Scottish Government will next week unveil its plans for pensions in an independent Scotland ahead of a flurry of reports from the SNP administration.

David Cameron claiming a No vote would reduce Scots’ relationship with rest of UK to one of “second cousins, once removed”.

In an interview with The Sunday Post, Mr Jenkins claimed he was “waiting for the polls to catch up with the campaign” and predicted a tightening of the polls some of which have shown barely a quarter of Scots back independence in favour of Yes by the end of the year.

He admitted there is a core band of pro-UK voters who are unlikely to have changed their mind by polling day, adding: “But I think it is closer to 25%, that is a figure we had fed back to us from some conversations they (Better Together) were having”.

Better Together described the claim as “utter rubbish” and pointed to polls showing the majority of Scots are against independence.

Mr Jenkins, who said Yes Scotland is actively targeting the soft No vote, continued: “The closer people get to polling day, the more it concentrates the mind.

“I expect at the end of the year there will be a movement towards us but I have always been reluctant to say by how much because we are in such unchartered territory.”

Meanwhile, Better Together leader Mr Darling yesterday hit out at the pro-independence campaign. He said it was “quite extraordinary with just under a year to go until polling day the Nationalists have yet to set out the prospectus on which they will fight this campaign”.

He said the Scottish Government had big questions to answer on the economy and described plans for an independent Scotland to have a currency union with what remains of the UK as “doubtful at best”.

Mr Darling added that talks were under way with broadcasters about TV debates on the referendum and reiterated his call for a debate with Mr Salmond.

He said: “I am ready and willing to debate these issues with him whenever he wants and I cannot understand his refusal.”

The Labour MP also said he does intend to campaign to save the Union with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown despite the pair so far failing to share a platform.

Nicola Sturgeon has revealed a series of papers will be published by the Scottish Government in the run up to the publication of the White Paper in November.

It is understood this will include a paper on pensions next week.

The white paper on independence will be launched in November and is likely to come after the Bill to allow the Referendum to go ahead being piloted through Holyrood is passed in the middle of the month.

Yes and SNP strategists believe they are seeing movement towards them among women and young Scots, with the group also claiming they have a lead in families with children.