A day ahead of polling, one in seven people able to vote in Scotland’s independence referendum are still struggling to make their final choice, according to the latest opinion poll.
In a poll for The Scotsman, the No side is put at 52 percentage points, down three points since the last ICM poll; while Yes is put at 48 points, up three points. However, the pledges made by Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats to guarantee more powers for Scotland is winning traction with voters, the poll has found.
A Daily Telegraph poll found that half of Scots believe the referendum has caused deep divisions – with just a quarter believing it to have been a force for good.
The pledge underwritten by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats to guarantee more powers for Scotland is facing opposition from Conservative MPs. The offer of extra powers, along with the maintenance of existing rules that have long offered Scotland an extra share of treasury funding, was made to encourage a No vote.
There is quiet fury among Conservative MPs, however, who believe the UK's constitution is being changed without any parliamentary debate. One Conservative MP, Andrew Rosindell, told the Financial Times yesterday that prime minister David Cameron "will have to decide what the honourable thing is to do" if the Yes side wins.
However, the alliance of Cameron, Miliband and the Liberal Democrats' Nick Clegg is expected to be strong enough to deliver the offer. The Scottish National Party suffered a blow yesterday when a leaked NHS document reported £450 million (€565m) in cuts are likely after a referendum.
Last night former US president Bill Clinton stepped into the debate – urging Scots to vote to stay in the UK.
In a statement released through the Better Together campaign, Mr Clinton highlighted issues including uncertainty over currency and the impact on the economy of “long, complex” negotiations.
Meanwhile today's Daily Telegraph claims that Scottish first minister Alex Salmond pressured the principal of St Andrews University, Irish woman Louise Richardson, to tone down warnings she made about the potential impact of Scottish independence. – (Additional reporting PA)