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| Glasgow defence contract shows confidence of no campaign | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The UK government will seek to build on the momentum in the pro-union campaign with an announcement on Tuesday that more than 800 Scottish jobs will be protected after the Ministry of Defence awarded a £348m contract to build three Offshore Patrol Vessels to Glasgow. | The UK government will seek to build on the momentum in the pro-union campaign with an announcement on Tuesday that more than 800 Scottish jobs will be protected after the Ministry of Defence awarded a £348m contract to build three Offshore Patrol Vessels to Glasgow. |
| Amid increasing confidence among ministers that the no campaign is heading for victory in next month's independence referendum, the treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander will announce that BAE Systems will build the vessels at its Clyde shipyard. | Amid increasing confidence among ministers that the no campaign is heading for victory in next month's independence referendum, the treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander will announce that BAE Systems will build the vessels at its Clyde shipyard. |
| Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, highlighted the government's confidence of a no vote in the referendum when he said the vessels would be delivered to the Royal Navy in 2017 – a year after Alex Salmond's planned date for Scottish independence if he wins the vote. Under current rules UK military ships can only be built in UK shipyards. | Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, highlighted the government's confidence of a no vote in the referendum when he said the vessels would be delivered to the Royal Navy in 2017 – a year after Alex Salmond's planned date for Scottish independence if he wins the vote. Under current rules UK military ships can only be built in UK shipyards. |
| Fallon said: "This multi-million pound contract shows our commitment to investing in new ships for the Royal Navy and maintaining in the UK the expertise needed to build the warships of the future. It will benefit the dedicated workers of the Clyde, their families and the local economy in Glasgow." | Fallon said: "This multi-million pound contract shows our commitment to investing in new ships for the Royal Navy and maintaining in the UK the expertise needed to build the warships of the future. It will benefit the dedicated workers of the Clyde, their families and the local economy in Glasgow." |
| The SNP may criticise the timing of the announcement in the run-up to the referendum. The navy announced last November that it had "plans" to commission the building of the vessels on the Clyde. | The SNP may criticise the timing of the announcement in the run-up to the referendum. The navy announced last November that it had "plans" to commission the building of the vessels on the Clyde. |
| The announcement on Tuesday by Alexander, who will visit the BAE Systems Clyde shipyard, comes amid growing hopes among UK ministers that the no side is heading towards a decisive victory after Better Together chief Alistair Darling's win over the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, in last week's television debate. | The announcement on Tuesday by Alexander, who will visit the BAE Systems Clyde shipyard, comes amid growing hopes among UK ministers that the no side is heading towards a decisive victory after Better Together chief Alistair Darling's win over the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, in last week's television debate. |
| Salmond moved to dampen hopes of victory for the yes campaign by describing the pro-independence movement as "underdogs". As a further poll showed the yes vote stalling following his televised debate with Darling, the Scottish national party leader admitted the yes campaign had "still got work to do" to close the gap with less than 40 days until polling day. | Salmond moved to dampen hopes of victory for the yes campaign by describing the pro-independence movement as "underdogs". As a further poll showed the yes vote stalling following his televised debate with Darling, the Scottish national party leader admitted the yes campaign had "still got work to do" to close the gap with less than 40 days until polling day. |
| He insisted that being behind in the polls suited his campaign, signalling he wanted independence activists to step up their campaigning dramatically in the final weeks. | He insisted that being behind in the polls suited his campaign, signalling he wanted independence activists to step up their campaigning dramatically in the final weeks. |
| "I relish the position of being the underdog," he told the BBC. "I think that's the best position to be in, in a campaign. I have been there before in other campaigns, Scotland has been there before many times. The trick is not to be ahead today, it's to be ahead on 18 September." | "I relish the position of being the underdog," he told the BBC. "I think that's the best position to be in, in a campaign. I have been there before in other campaigns, Scotland has been there before many times. The trick is not to be ahead today, it's to be ahead on 18 September." |
| The YouGov poll for the Sun on Monday put the no vote at 55% and yes at 35% – the same level it detected in June, and at 61% to no and 39% to yes after taking out undecideds. | The YouGov poll for the Sun on Monday put the no vote at 55% and yes at 35% – the same level it detected in June, and at 61% to no and 39% to yes after taking out undecideds. |
| UK ministers used the defence announcement to talk up the financial benefits of a no vote, saying that remaining in the UK would guarantees highly skilled defence jobs on the Clyde. Alexander said: "Today's announcement continues over 200 years of tradition building the nation's leading ships on the Clyde. This will also support hundreds of jobs in the region and make an important contribution to the wider UK economy." | UK ministers used the defence announcement to talk up the financial benefits of a no vote, saying that remaining in the UK would guarantees highly skilled defence jobs on the Clyde. Alexander said: "Today's announcement continues over 200 years of tradition building the nation's leading ships on the Clyde. This will also support hundreds of jobs in the region and make an important contribution to the wider UK economy." |
| Fallon added: "This sort of investment by the UK government is vital for the sustainment of shipbuilding in the city and the hundreds of specialist manufacturing and engineering roles that play an important role in providing war fighting capability for the Royal Navy." | Fallon added: "This sort of investment by the UK government is vital for the sustainment of shipbuilding in the city and the hundreds of specialist manufacturing and engineering roles that play an important role in providing war fighting capability for the Royal Navy." |
| On Saturday the polling organisation Survation told the Daily Mail that, after the STV debate, the no vote was up to 50%, its highest figure for the anti-independence vote, with support for setting up a new state falling four points to 37%. | On Saturday the polling organisation Survation told the Daily Mail that, after the STV debate, the no vote was up to 50%, its highest figure for the anti-independence vote, with support for setting up a new state falling four points to 37%. |
| Those findings were echoed by the latest Scottish Social Attitudes survey, funded by a UK government research council, which put the yes vote at 39% – three points up on the same survey last year, and the no vote at 61% after undecideds were excluded. | Those findings were echoed by the latest Scottish Social Attitudes survey, funded by a UK government research council, which put the yes vote at 39% – three points up on the same survey last year, and the no vote at 61% after undecideds were excluded. |
| The gap in yes support between men and women had doubled since last year to 12%, the largest gap found by the survey, with only 27% of women backing independence. But it also found that support for independence is more evenly spread through Scotland's social classes and by age than before. | The gap in yes support between men and women had doubled since last year to 12%, the largest gap found by the survey, with only 27% of women backing independence. But it also found that support for independence is more evenly spread through Scotland's social classes and by age than before. |
| Its face-to-face questionnaire of 1339 voters was carried out between May and July, so it did not capture any effect from the Glasgow Commonwealth games or the STV debate. | Its face-to-face questionnaire of 1339 voters was carried out between May and July, so it did not capture any effect from the Glasgow Commonwealth games or the STV debate. |
| But the study, widely seen as the most authoritative of its kind, found voters are increasingly seeing themselves as both British and Scottish, as attitudes changed during the campaign. The number seeing themselves as Scottish as opposed to British fell to 65% – the lowest level found by the SSA since 1979, when it stood at 56%. | But the study, widely seen as the most authoritative of its kind, found voters are increasingly seeing themselves as both British and Scottish, as attitudes changed during the campaign. The number seeing themselves as Scottish as opposed to British fell to 65% – the lowest level found by the SSA since 1979, when it stood at 56%. |