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THE pro-union Better Together campaign has refused to work with UKIP to persuade Scots to vote against ­independence.

Better Together yesterday insisted that Nigel Farage’s resurgent right wingers “are not a Scottish party and this is a Scottish debate”.

In return, UKIP accused Better Together of being “petty and small minded”.

The party delivered a ­massive shock to the political establishment when they won hundreds of seats in the ­English council elections on Thursday.

They now want to play a key role in convincing Scots to vote against independence in a referendum next year.

But Better Together, who include Labour, Tory and Lib Dem politicians, have refused to work with the party.

UKIP were dismissed by David Cameron in 2006 as a party of “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists”.

And in the run-up to the council elections, Tory ­minister Ken Clarke ­dismissed UKIP as “clowns”.

But Farage had the last laugh when they won 147 seats.

A Better Together ­spokesman said: “UKIP have asked to join us and we have said no.

“If they ask again, we will say no again.

“They are not a Scottish party and this is a Scottish debate.”

UKIP campaign for the UK to quit the EU but they are against Scottish ­independence.

UKIP Scotland regional organiser Peter Adams said: “This is to do with the break-up of the United Kingdom, so as a UK party we are perfectly entitled to be involved.

“If Better Together won’t involve people who want to promote the UK, it just shows how small-minded they are.

“Some of our members go along to Better Together meetings.

“The other people there don’t care if they are from UKIP. They’re quite happy they’re supporting Better Together.

“It is the people who are at the top who are beginning to lose touch with reality.

“They are still looking down their noses at UKIP because we don’t have ­political representation up here.

“That is the sort of petty, small-minded attitude that is not going to help Scotland or the UK progress.”

SNP MSP Aileen McLeod said: “The reality is that UKIP are on the same side of the argument as the anti-­independence campaign.

“The No campaign are in a panic over UKIP dragging UK politics to the far right.

“The vast majority of ­people in Scotland want nothing to do with that, which is why a Yes vote for an independent Scotland is so important.”

Meanwhile, a new poll for the SNP shows than ­two-thirds of voters believe the UK and Scottish ­Governments should ­negotiate a pre-referendum settlement.

The SNP Government have been calling for discussions but, to date, the UK Government have rejected talks.

A YouGov poll of 1006 adults in Scotland found 67 per cent supported formal ­negotiations between the governments, with 21 per cent against.