Scottish independence: Referendum deal can be struck by end of October, reveals Alex Salmond

A DEAL on the details of Scotland’s independence referendum can be thrashed out by the end of October with “good will” on both sides, Alex Salmond said yesterday.

The First Minister said he was “positive” about progress towards agreeing the details after holding talks with David Cameron in Downing Street yesterday.

But he warned that “there could still be obstacles on the way”, although he is still “hopeful” an agreement will be struck in the “next three weeks” and will be in place by late October.

The First Minister continued to refuse to say whether he preferred the referendum to have one or two questions with a second on more powers.

But Mr Salmond said: “We are hopeful that over the next few weeks we will reach a resolution because there is an anxiety on all sides to get on to the substance of the debate and leave these questions of process settled. Obviously, we are negotiating on the principle that these are matters that Scottish Parliament should determine.

“We are hopeful that if there is good will on both sides, and there seems to be, that we can come to a resolution of matters over the next few weeks.”

The informal talks took place yesterday after a meeting of the joint ministerial council (JMC) in Downing Street which discussed the problems of the economy and air connectivity.

After the JMC concluded, Mr Salmond and Mr Cameron were joined by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore. Ms Sturgeon and Mr Moore then went into detailed discussions at The Scotland Office.

The discussions centred around the Section 30 order which transfers from Westminster to Holyrood the legal powers needed to permit the Scottish Government to hold the referendum.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The First Minister and the Prime Minister had a constructive exchange following the Joint Ministerial Committee meeting to review the progress of referendum negotiations.

“This was followed by a good and positive meeting between the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore who continued to make progress. They will meet again in Edinburgh early next week for further discussions around the Section 30 order.”

The deal is expected to be concluded in October.

Mr Moore said that both the discussions in Downing Street and the Scotland Office had been “business like”.

He added: “We have been working through the details as we seek to get a package that will be able to be agreed by both governments and both parliaments. We look forward to continuing those discussions over the next few days and meet again next week.”