Economy tops Scots’ lists of concerns

The economy is the most important issue to Scottish voters ahead of a referendum for independence later this year, according to a poll published yesterday.

Scots will decide on September 18 whether their nation, which has a population of just over 5m and is a source of North Sea oil, should end its 307-year-old union with England and leave the UK.

The poll, carried out in late January by TNS in more than 1,000 face-to-face interviews, found voters ranked the economy above issues including pensions, welfare, currency, and immigration when asked what mattered most to them.

Scottish leader Alex Salmond, who is heading the drive for Scotland to split from Britain, has argued that Scots will be better off in charge of their own finances and insists Scotland has a right to its share of British assets.

That would mean it using the pound and central bank, the Bank of England, as the lender of last resort — an arrangement the British government has given no guarantee of accepting.

Salmond has warned that without a share of UK assets, an independent Scotland could walk away from its share of UK liabilities such as its £1.2 trillion of government debt.

A separate survey by Panelbase for The Sunday Times found that 51% of respondents believed independence would mean higher tax bills to fund public services, with 26% expecting there would be no change.

Only 17% of people polled were in favour of paying more for better public services, however.

On Friday, British prime minister David Cameron made an emotional appeal for Scotland to remain part of the UK, warning Scots that a vote for independence would undermine Britain’s global clout and imperil its financial and political stability.

Panelbase found that among those who had a view on independence, 43% were in favour and 57% were against.