Nick Clegg rules out UK-wide referendum on Union

Published on Thursday 12 May 2011 18:56

DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said the government would not accept a UK-wide referendum on the future of the Union.

Speaking at the constitutional affairs committee yesterday, Mr Clegg insisted that the UK government and MPs in Westminster could take part in discussions on the Union, but said a UK-wide one was "not appropriate".

His comments came as he was pressed on the future of the Union by Scottish Tory Eleanor Laing, who represents Epping Forest, with other Tory MPs suggesting English voters should also be allowed to take part in a referendum.

The Deputy Prime Minister was asked whether Westminster would "take the initiative" and organise a Scottish referendum on independence.

He said: "I think it is right to say that any nation within the UK, in a sense, if it seeks to express a view about its own future, that that is primarily their prerogative to do so.

"It's equally right to say that that debate and the outcome of that debate has a knock-on effect on the rest of the UK. But do I think that, therefore, this parliament should somehow try to pre-empt that debate in Scotland? That's a separate debate.

"I'm not personally at the moment persuaded that what we want to do is try and develop some sort of Gunfight at the OK Corral, where we threaten each other. I'm not sure that is the best way to proceed."

He added: "My own view, as someone who passionately believes in the Union, is that the First Minister of Scotland would be misinterpreting his mandate if he felt it was a mandate for outright independence.

"I suspect there were a lot of people who voted for the SNP who didn't necessarily share his single-minded passion for independence."