New poll has Scotland rejecting independence by four-point margin – as it happened

My colleague Libby Brooks has sent me more about Nigel Farage’s comments about the role of “anti-Englishness” in the campaign.

Describing the SNP as “the voice of anti-Englishness”, the Ukip leader writes in the Telegraph this morning: “The vote is about secession from England and Mr Cameron epitomises all that the Scottish people viscerally loathe about England.”

He adds: “The problem for the Scots, though, is if they vote ‘’yes’’ next week, they will not get independence. Rather, they are voting for rule by Brussels. As Mr Cameron has brutally discovered, no EU member is truly independent.”

Farage, who will hold a pro-union rally in Glasgow on Friday evening, writes that Cameron was mistaken in excluding the so-called “devo max” option – more powers for a Scottish parliament within the union - from the ballot paper.

“The Scots have no way of keeping a UK link while extending the powers of the Scottish Parliament. I believe this option would have won the day but thanks to Mr Cameron, it is not on offer. The choice on the ballot plays into Salmond’s hands: vote to stay subject to the English toffs at Westminster who stole their country under the threat of bankruptcy 300 years ago – the Act of Union – or vote to throw off the hated English yoke.”

Here are the main points from Alex Salmond’s interview on BBC Radio Scotland.

• Salmond produced a letter from the RBS chief executive, Ross McEwan, saying that moving its registered headquarters to London would have no impact on jobs or services. The letter was sent to staff today, Salmond said. He quoted from it.
  

It is my view as chief executive that any decision to move our registered headquarters would have no impact on everyday banking services used by our customers in Scotland. This is a technical procedure regarding the location of our registered head office, our current strategy and business plan. It is not our intention to move operations or jobs.

• Salmond said Lloyds could not move its headquarters to London because its HQ had already been based in London for the last 100 years. Moving the place of registration would just amount to moving a plaque on the wall, he said.

• He accused the BBC of misreporting the news about the contingency plans being drawn up by RBS and Lloyds.
  

It is important for the BBC to report the facts.

He said that he did not have plans to raise an extra £20bn in reserves, the amount that Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, said Scotland would need to be a lender of last resort in the event of it not having a currency union with the rest of the UK. He insisted that a currency union would happen.

• He suggested that Scotland could benefit to the tune of £100bn if it did not have a currency union with the rest of the UK. That sum represents the amount of UK debt for which Scotland would be liable, and Salmond said the rest of the UK would need a currency union to ensure Scotland paid its share. If that did not happen, Scotland could benefit hugely, he intimated.
  

Listen, £100bn, not having to finance, would give an independent Scotland the most extraordinary position.

But it was clear that he is not seriously proposing this as an option.

• He criticised the Treasury for leaking news of the RBS/Lloyds story to the BBC - its report quoted a BBC source, he said - and he said the BBC should investigate.
  

Perhaps the BBC will investigate, or even reveal, who that source was.

• He said Downing Street was to blame for the uncertainty that led to falls in the value of the pound and in the share price of some leading Scottish FTSE 100 companies earlier this week. Those events were triggered by Number 10 confirming on Monday that it had no contingency plans for a yes vote, he claimed, and by the UK government’s “unreasonable” decision no to contemplate a currency union.

• He said it was his “overwhelming belief” that, in the event of a yes vote, Westminster would drop its opposition to a currency union.
  

Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, claims that “anti-English sentiment” are fuelling support for Scottish independence.

My colleague Esther Addley gets all the best assignments. She is on the “Save the union express”, the train from London heading up to Scotland containing 100 Labour MPs (or not - see below) who are coming up to campaign for a no vote.

So, Alex Salmond is pushing back aggressively against the idea that RBS or Lloyds bank making contingency plans to partially relocate to London under independence would be of any significance.

I’ll post a full summary shortly.

Q: Mark Carney says an independent Scotland would need reserves of £20bn. Are you factoring that in to your plans?

Salmond says he is factoring in the prospect of a currency union.

Q: So you are not making these plans?

Salmond says the rest of the UK would have to pay debt worth more than £100bn if it did not agree a currency union. If Scotland had that money, that would be a huge benefit, he says.

And that’s it.

Salmond says the statements from BP and Standard Life yesterday were a “recycling” of things they had said before. But the London press did not realise, because they have not focused on the campaign before.

Q: But the polls are against you?

Salmond says, by a massive majority, the polls show people want a currency union, and that they do not believe Westminster would not agree one.

Salmond says the contingency plans announced by RBS and Lloyds will have “no impact” on their operations and jobs.

He accuses the BBC of misreporting this, saying wrongly the bank is talking about moving its headquarters.

And now over to BBC Radio Scotland where the Alex Salmond interview is still going on.

Q: Do you accept there would be a flight of capital in the event of independence?

Salmond says Mark Carney, as governor of the Bank of England, said yesterday he would be in charge during the negotations.

He says it is his “overwhelming belief” that Westminster would accept a currency union.

The UK government will be first at the table to arrange a currency union after a yes vote, he says.

Q: RBS has contingency plans for a yes vote. Do you accept that it is because of uncertainty that they have made these plans?

Swinney says an agreement on a currency union would resolve this.

Q: Why do you think that would happen?

If Scotland had a mandate from the voters, the UK party leaders would accept that.

Q: How confident are you?

Very confident, says Swinney.

And that’s it.