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Unionists gain ground days before Scottish referendum

EDINBURGH — Amid the looming vote in Scotland’s referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, the latest poll has shown that Scots in support of keeping the country within Britain were in the lead over those who favoured independence.

EDINBURGH — Amid the looming vote in Scotland’s referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, the latest poll has shown that Scots in support of keeping the country within Britain were in the lead over those who favoured independence.

With less than a week to go before the vote on Thursday, a survey for The Times and Sun newspapers yesterday showed support for the union was at 52 per cent versus support for independence at 48 per cent, excluding those who said they did not know how they would vote.

“The ‘No’ campaign has moved back into the lead in Scotland’s referendum campaign,” said Mr Peter Kellner, the president of polling company YouGov, which did the survey. “This is the first time ‘No’ has gained ground since early last month.” The survey polled 1,268 people in Scotland between Tuesday and Thursday.

The independence issue has provoked the most intense political debate in Scotland’s modern history. In the event of a vote for independence, Britain and Scotland would have to begin work on dividing up the US$2.5 trillion UK economy, North Sea oil and the national debt, while Prime Minister David Cameron would face calls to resign.

Scotland would have to decide what currency it would use after London said it could not use the pound in a currency union, while Britain would have to decide what to do about its main nuclear submarine base on the Clyde, which the nationalists would like to eject.

However, the latest indication that support for keeping the UK intact has drawn slightly ahead would be of only meagre comfort to unionists, given that the broader picture painted by recent surveys is that the vote is likely to be too close to call.

Pollsters YouGov and TNS have shown a surge in support for independence since late last month, as the secessionist campaign led by nationalist leader Alex Salmond won over supporters of the traditionally unionist Labour Party and some female voters in Scotland.

The recent surge in support for the nationalists had sown fear in the British ruling elite with Mr Cameron rushing on Wednesday to Edinburgh, where he begged Scots not to break his heart by destroying the UK’s “family of nations”.

In a hurried attempt to win back support for the union, the Labour Party sent dozens of lawmakers to Scotland, where it is the only political force that rivals the Scottish nationalists.

YouGov credited former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scot who is the only British politician who Mr Salmond is said to fear, with winning back support for the union.

“His warnings that independence would be bad for jobs and family finances have struck home,” Mr Kellner said of the 63-year-old former Premier, who has hit the road in Scotland to give an impassioned defence of the union.

The poll showed that fears of what independence might mean for bank accounts in the event of a crisis similar to the 2008 turmoil, which Mr Brown grappled with as Prime Minister, was an important pillar of the unionist vote.

After two British banks said they would shift their registered head offices to London if Scotland voted to break away, Mr Salmond accused the British government of orchestrating a campaign of fear by corporate lenders.

“Scotland is on the cusp of making history. The eyes of the world are on Scotland,” Mr Salmond told reporters in Edinburgh. AGENCIES

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