Robertson: SNP will wave white flag beside Saltire

The warning from the Scottish Labour grandee came after it emerged the UK is not taking part in a Nato naval exercise in the Black Sea to send a signal to Russia over its expansion into the Ukraine.

The SNP described the lack of a British presence as “embarrassing” and said it showed the UK was not fulfilling its obligations while trying to claim an independent Scotland would not be an effective partner of Nato.

But Lord Robertson said a Yes vote would have an impact on international security and pointed to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and 2007 attack at Glasgow airport to argue that Scotland was not immune to terrorist threats.

He was in Edinburgh yesterday to join former Scottish secretary Jim Murphy’s street campaign aimed at persuading voters to say No.

Speaking after an event in the Grassmarket, Lord Robertson said: “The break-up of the UK now would be disastrous.”

He said the SNP’s push to get rid of the UK’s nuclear deterrent was “crazy”, adding: “Just seven days ago, Vladimir Putin reminded the world that he has nuclear weapons and the SNP want us to get rid of them and force a founder member of Nato to disarm – that’s just crazy.”

Of the Nationalists’ defence plans in its white paper, Lord Robertson said: “They would be pulling up the white flag next to the saltire.

“To pretend Scotland would be defended is a dangerous fiction.”