Scottish independence referendum: Labour plans Save Devo push to avoid clash with Alex Salmond

SCOTTISH Labour is planning to mount a broad-based “Save Devolution” campaign to counter the independence movement, in a bid to ensure it does not box itself in as “Unionist” against the SNP.

Party figures are also keen to prevent their anti-independence campaign being reduced to an “Alex Salmond vs AN Other” match-up, believing a personalised fight between the First Minister and a pro-Union figure would play into the hands of their opponents.

Despite speculation in Westminster yesterday that former chancellor Alistair Darling would be persuaded to lead the campaign across Scotland, Johann Lamont, the party’s new Scottish leader, is understood to have made it clear she will head up Labour efforts ahead of the expected 2014 referendum.

But Ms Lamont is expected to back a “collegiate” approach, and has pinpointed the Constitutional Convention, the body that formed the ground rules for the Scottish Parliament in the 1990s, as a template for the pro-Union campaign.

Other pro-Union sources said they did not expect there to be a single campaign, offering an umbrella for all to campaign under, because the different parties involved would want to emphasise their own priorities.

The lack of clarity was reflected among civic and business leaders who support the Union who also say they do not expect to launch a campaign in the near future, saying most would wait until a referendum was imminent.

Labour’s plan to make a broad “pro-devolution” appeal to Scotland was already coming under pressure yesterday, with key civic leaders demanding the option of “devo max” be included in the referendum – something which Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Tories all oppose.

Martin Sime, chief executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, warned that the debate should allow for more powers to be considered, a call which has met with support from the SNP.

It gives Ms Lamont and other “pro-devolutionists” a major headache as they seek to remain supportive of a more powerful devolved settlement, while keeping it off any ballot paper.

The attempt to steer away from a campaign “head” also came as some Labour MPs warned they did not believe they had a heavyweight presence at Holyrood to do the job anyway.