Independence may work for Scotland, says First Minister

The First Minister insisted that the "journey" to independence was the real problem and, after that, Scotland's future would depend on the type of government elected.

Mr McConnell also insisted that he thought a move towards independence would drive away investment.

But his decision to accept the possible survival of an independent Scotland delighted the Nationalists who claimed the First Minister had conceded on the SNP's main argument.

Mr McConnell's words are remarkable because he is the first senior Labour figure to have conceded so much ground to the Nationalists in this way.

Speaking on STV's Politics Now programme last night, Mr McConnell said: "The biggest problem with independence is the journey there.

"I think it's a debatable issue about the condition of an independent Scotland because it would depend on the kind of government that voters elected."

The First Minister said the SNP had to explain where the money was going to come from for independence and claimed all the pro-independence parties - the SNP, the SSP and the Greens - had to explain how Scotland was going to survive, how money was going to be found for public services and what would happen to taxes.

But pressed again on whether he thought Scotland could survive as an independent country, he replied: "That would depend on the government that was elected by the people. It would depend on the policies they follow.

"The issue is not what government would there be in an independent Scotland - the issue is the move towards independence and whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing and common sense would tell anybody, not politics but common sense, that an international company that was thinking about investing in Scotland in a period when independence was being considered by the government of Scotland, that international company would hesitate."

Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, said: "He is conceding the principle of independence. Now he is reduced to debating the process.

"His choices of words on the issue of independence are identical to those used by the Tories on devolution for Scotland and we now know how wrong they were."