Darling hosts secret summit to kill off Scottish independence at his Edinburgh home



Host: Senior aides to David Cameron took part in a secret all-party 'council of war' at the home of former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling (pictured)

Senior aides to David Cameron took part in a secret all-party ‘council of war’ at former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Edinburgh home in a bid to stop Scottish independence.

No 10 director of political strategy Andrew Cooper and former Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie attended the historic talks to discuss how to defeat Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond in the referendum on independence.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander and Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy were also at the meeting, with the Liberal Democrats represented by Euan Roddin, the special adviser to Scottish Secretary Michael Moore.

The six men spent three hours discussing their battle plans at the meeting held a month ago at Mr Darling’s home in the Abbotsford Park area that has become their unofficial HQ.

Fortified by tea and sandwiches provided by Mr Darling’s wife Maggie, they agreed that the only way to defeat Mr Salmond was to bury their differences and join forces in what has now been described as the ‘Abbotsford Accord’.

A source said: ‘It was a momentous event. It feels odd sitting down with people you have spent your whole life opposing, but we have to pool our resources to save the Union. It is a referendum, not a rerun of Bannockburn as the SNP would have us believe. But like wars, elections are usually won by the side with the best leaders, resources and tactics.’

It was decided at the Darling summit that the campaign should be run by politicians based in Scotland, so Mr Cameron will be kept in the background. And despite the joint ‘save the Union’ effort, each party will also run their own anti-independence campaign.

Scottish nationalists have been demanding home rule since unification with England in 1707, gaining momentum in 1934 with the establishment of the SNP.



The nationalists lost a referendum to create a Scottish Assembly in 1979, but won a second ballot on the issue in 1997 after Tony Blair became Prime Minister.

Tea and sandwiches: Mr Darling hosted the all-party summit against independence at this Edinburgh home (pictured)

Mr Blair wanted to kill off calls for all-out independence by handing Scotland more control over its own affairs, Instead, the devolved parliament in Edinburgh has given Mr Salmond a formidable power base.

Mr Darling, who established a reputation for being cool under pressure as Chancellor when the banking crisis erupted, is among the favourites to front the tri-party campaign.

It is thought that Gordon Brown, a bitter long-time political enemy of Mr Salmond, will confine his role to Labour’s own anti-independence campaign as he is reluctant to share a stage with the Tories and Lib Dems.

The Government has been at loggerheads with Mr Salmond over the timing and the wording of the referendum since The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this year that Mr Cameron wanted to bring forward the vote.

Mr Salmond wants to delay it until 2014, hoping to be swept to victory on a wave of patriotism over the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn when the Scots routed the army of Edward II.

Mr Cameron now says that he is ‘not fussed’ over the timing of the referendum, but is insisting on a simple and decisive yes or no question on independence.

The Government has been at loggerheads with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond (pictured) over the timing and the wording of the referendum

Mr Salmond wants to offer a second, so-called ‘devo-max’ option, which would give Scotland full control over financial matters, but falls short of a full breakaway state.

Critics say this is a ‘face-saving’ device in case Scots reject independence. Most opinion polls suggest that fewer than one in two Scots want to cut all ties with Britain.

Mr Salmond also wants to extend the vote to 16-year-olds, as teenagers are strong supporters of independence.

Mr Salmond and Mr Cameron are now involved in a prolonged tug of war over who will have the final say on the referendum.

Labour and the Conservatives have different motives for opposing independence. The Tories would be a more dominant force in the Commons, but most fear a breakaway Scotland would have a devastating effect on the UK’s standing in the world.

However, a minority of Tories believe England would be better off financially without Scotland.