UK party officials travel to Scotland ahead of independence vote

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 11, 2014, 15:53 Updated : September 11, 2014, 15:53

 

UK party leaders will be campaigning in Scotland later for a "No" vote in the independence referendum. Prime Minister David Cameron and Labor leader Ed Miliband have abandoned their weekly prime minister's questions clash to fly north.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will also be campaigning in Scotland. First Minister Alex Salmond called the three men "the least trusted Westminster leaders ever" and claimed the visit would boost the "Yes" vote. He called on the prime minister to debate him directly ahead of the 18 September vote.

Meanwhile, in an article in Wednesday's Daily Mail, David Cameron made an impassioned plea to Scots to stay part of the UK. He said that a "brighter future for Scotland rests not only on staying in the UK, but also on having significant new powers" adding that the new timetable would give Scots the "clarity" they needed when considering which way to vote.

The leaders of the Conservative, Labor and Liberal Democrat parties will not travel or appear together during their visits to Scotland. In a joint statement, they said: "There is a lot that divides us - but there's one thing on which we agree passionately: the United Kingdom is better together."

The visit was announced on Tuesday after polls indicated a narrowing of the lead that the pro-Union Better Together campaign has over the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign.
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