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LABOUR are calling their old guard into action in a bid to boost the fortunes of the Better Together campaign.

The party’s referendum chief Anas Sarwar has put former MP and MSP George Foulkes in charge of co-ordinating the Labour legends in the Lords.

Ex-cabinet ministers John Reid, George Robertson and Helen Liddell and former first minister Jack McConnell are among the peers poised to play a bigger role in the run-up to the independence vote on September 18.

But opponents called the move a “disastrous” knee-jerk reaction to the latest polls, which show the Yes campaign narrowing the gap.

A Panelbase survey released yesterday puts support for Yes at 41 per cent and No at 46 per cent, with 14 per cent undecided.

The decision to give the peers a bigger role comes after a summit between Sarwar and Labour leader Ed Miliband about the direction of the party’s referendum campaign.

Lord Foulkes said: “They looked at the way we can use the knowledge and context peers can bring more effectively now we’re in the main phase of the campaign.

“We’ve got people like John Reid, who has held just about every office of state, and Helen Liddell, who was Scottish secretary.

“Until now, there’s not really been a mechanism to get them involved.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Sarwar said: “This is the fight of our lives – we need the collective strength of the Labour movement to come together to win this for Scotland.

“The whole of Team Scottish Labour – the youth team, first team and legends – are coming together to make sure we run the biggest and most effective campaign we have ever done.”

Lord Foulkes admitted the narrowing polls helped trigger the move.

He said: “There’s still a long way to go and we know we’re going to have to work to win. Everyone will be getting more involved.

“Alex Salmond tries to marginalise peers by saying unelected people should have no role in the debate but many of these peers were elected for many years.”

A Yes Scotland spokesman said: “This is a disastrous response by Labour to Yes closing in on No in the polls.

“The idea of a bunch of unelected, ermine-clad lords at Westminster trying to stop the people of Scotland voting Yes for a modern democracy in an independent Scottish Parliament is ridiculous. It will boost the Yes vote even further.”