TWO
UK CABINET Ministers have today challenged the SNP Government to provide
answers on currency after Alex Salmond’s top adviser said that his
post-independence plans may be blocked.
The
SNP Government wants to share the pound in a currency union with the rest of
the UK but this has been ruled out by the Coalition Government and Labour
opposition. Crawford Beveridge, who heads up Mr Salmond’s fiscal commission
working group, admitted in a keynote speech last night that “politics” could
see the plans blocked and suggested using the pound without UK agreement - so
called sterlingisation - could work as an alternative.
With
only a week to go until postal voting starts in the referendum both Chief
Secretary Danny Alexander and Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael are now
pressing the SNP Government to set out its currency ‘Plan B’.
Mr
Alexander said the Scottish Government is ‘fast running out of time’ to come up
with a Plan B on currency.
Liberal
Democrats at Holyrood have this morning called for an urgent ministerial
statement from Alex Salmond on the currency after Mr Beveridge suggested the SNP’s threat to walk away from
Scotland’s share of UK debt after a Yes vote “looks like a default and it
smells like a default” to credit ratings agencies.
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