David Cameron has promised a "new and fair" constitutional settlement for the entire United Kingdom after Scotland voted to reject independence and remain part of the United Kingdom.

Alex Salmond’s dream of independence has been shattered after Scotland voted to stay part of the United Kingdom.

Polling in Scotland’s independence referendum has closed, leaving campaigners and onlookers across the world waiting to learn if the country will remain in the United Kingdom or not.

Voting is well under way on a historic day for Scotland as people determine whether the country should remain part of the United Kingdom.

Scottish independence is “an economic trapdoor from which we might never escape”, according to former UK prime minister Gordon Brown.

Rivals on both sides of Scotland’s referendum debate will take to the streets today for one final day of campaigning before the historic ballot.

It won’t come as a really big surprise that the latest poll (published in The Sunday Times) showed that the ‘yes’ campaign in the Scottish referendum is now in the lead for the very first time, though by a very narrow margin.

A shock poll has given the 'Yes' camp the lead in the Scottish independence referendum battle for the first time, amid signs of infighting among senior figures backing the union.

The independence referendum is not a test of Scottishness, but a test of common sense, former chancellor Alistair Darling has insisted.

The two leaders in Scotland's independence debate have clashed over the issues of currency, energy and the health service in a TV debate.

The leader of the campaign for Scottish independence failed to turn a US-style television debate into a victory for his cause, six weeks before Scotland votes on whether to break up the United Kingdom.

Former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling has warned the UK economy could face more than a decade “bumping along the bottom”.

Britain’s loss of its prized AAA credit rating intensified the pressure on sterling today despite another rally for London’s top flight shares index.

The biggest advertising agency in the world is to shift its global headquarters from Dublin to Britain.

Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond will make an explosive appearance before MPs today after dragging senior Bank of England and UK government figures into the rate-rigging scandal.

IRELAND’S decision to guarantee the savings of the banks “smacked of panic rather than a plan” according to Britain’s former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.

British tax investigators are cracking down on attempts to avoid the new 50p top rate of income tax by reclassifying salary as payments for "image rights", HM Revenue and Customs has confirmed.

BRITISH Chancellor George Osborne has been accused of treating people “like fools” by claiming yesterday’s VAT hike will hit the rich hardest.

Chancellor George Osborne insisted that today’s VAT rise from 17.5% to 20% was a “tough but necessary step” towards Britain’s economic recovery.

ALAN JOHNSON was appointed to the key role of shadow chancellor in Ed Miliband’s first shadow cabinet yesterday.

Voting opens in Labour’s shadow cabinet elections today, with 49 MPs battling for a place in Ed Miliband’s top team.

New Labour leader Ed Miliband has given his strongest signal yet that he would put up taxes in order to protect public services from spending cuts.

David Miliband pleaded with Labour today not to turn the leadership struggle into the kind of “soap opera” that disfigured the Blair and Brown era.

New Labour leader Ed Miliband needs to keep his party in the “centre ground of British politics” to win the next election, shadow chancellor Alistair Darling said today.

ED MILIBAND declared the New Labour era over, but insisted the party would not embark on a “lurch to the left” under his leadership.

Ed Miliband today declared the New Labour era over, but insisted the party would not embark on a “lurch to the left” under his leadership.

ANGLO Irish Bank chiefs made a desperate plea to Bank of Ireland to take it over on the same day the Government was holding crisis talks on the introduction of the blanket guarantee to protect the banking sector.

David Miliband’s campaign to become Labour leader received a boost when he was backed by another party heavyweight.

British Chancellor George Osborne will today set out what is expected be the toughest package of tax increases and spending cuts in a generation as he delivers his first Budget.

The Tories left power-sharing talks with the Liberal Democrats today, declaring “further progress” had been made towards deciding if David Cameron could seal a deal to take him to No 10.

The Liberal Democrats say they are hopeful a deal can be reached with the Tories today on forming a government in the UK.

British Conservative Party leader David Cameron today held out a “big, open and comprehensive offer” to the Liberal Democrats to work together in government.

DURING our last general election in 2007, my occupation was bookmaking. Our firm pioneered betting markets for every candidate and constituency.

Labour fought back today against charges that it has not been straight with voters over public finances after an independent economic think tank warned Britain was heading for cuts on a scale unseen for a generation.

The cost of borrowing for Greece on international markets has hit the highest level ever recorded in the eurozone after its credit rating was downgraded yesterday.

LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg yesterday said he was aiming to “secure the majority of support” from the British electorate and had not entered into talks with either the Tories or Labour.

KENNETH CLARKE yesterday issued a dramatic warning that Britain could have to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund if the general election results in a hung parliament.

EVERY general election is billed as the most crucial in the history of the nation.

Gordon Brown will tomorrow call the UK general election for May 6 – and warn voters that a Conservative government would lead the country back into recession.

Gordon Brown was tonight preparing to fire the starting gun for the 2010 British general election.

Oil prices hit their highest level for 18 months today amid recovery hopes for the US economy after better-than-expected jobs data.

Gordon Brown would not find it "impossible" to work with the Liberal Democrats if the forthcoming general election produced a hung Parliament, an ally of the British Prime Minister said today.

The UK's political row over National Insurance (NI) rises intensified today as British business leaders dismissed “patronising” claims that they had been fooled into backing the opposition Conservative Party's plans.

BEFORE the dawn comes the darkest hour. This week’s choreography between the Minister for Finance, Central Bank governor and Financial Regulator seeks to reconstruct the Irish banking system. We have to hope it works. Don’t be too fearful about the enormous sums being injected into AIB and Bank of Ireland.