Lord Steel:devo-plus is best option

FORMER Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer Lord Steel has backed the devo-plus option, which would see Holyrood take control of most taxes, as a “strong and positive alternative” to Scottish independence.

Lord Steel, a former Liberal leader, said that the devo-plus campaign launched last month was the best chance of defeating independence as he said it would “deliver the common ground between the parties that do not support independence”.

The Lib Dem peer’s intervention came after it was revealed that the SNP wanted devo-plus – an option that falls significantly short of full fiscal autonomy – included on the referendum ballot as an alternative to full independence.

Lord Steel, writing in The Scotsman today, talks about how the devo-plus campaign can be a “solid foundation to bring parties and politicians” together in an anti-independence campaign to “secure a positive case for reform”.

He writes: “Devolution-plus also is a positive message, and I have been impressed at its focus on seeking a strong, positive relationship between institutions based on trust, openness and accountability.”