'No move' on referendum timetable

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The Scottish Government has refused to speed up its plans for a vote on independence, despite pressure from the Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP would not be hurried into changing its timetable for a planned referendum in 2010.

But Downing Street has refused to support Ms Alexander's backing for a straight yes/no public referendum.

Scots Tory leader Annabel Goldie branded her move "reckless".

Ms Alexander put her plans to Labour MSPs during their regular group meeting at Holyrood, while Labour MPs will discuss them during a meeting at Westminster later.

Ms Sturgeon branded Ms Alexander's call a "panic reaction by a party that's plummeting at the polls" and claimed the Scottish Labour leader was behaving "erratically".

Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Sturgeon said: "If Wendy Alexander really does now support an independence referendum, clearly I and the SNP welcome her very warmly indeed.

I am a staunch supporter of devolution and refuse to play fast and loose with our future Annabel Goldie Scottish Conservative leader

"But we have to inject a note of caution here, Wendy Alexander's behaviour is erratic in the extreme.

"It's only a few weeks ago she said she was implacably opposed to a referendum, she's just set up a constitutional commission that expressly excludes the option of independence.

"So, who knows what her position will be this time next week, let alone in six months time."

But Ms Alexander insisted it was important for the issue to be settled sooner rather than later.

She said: "[The Scottish Government] are now suggesting they won't bring the legislation in until 2010.

"Given it takes about nine months to debate a bill the Scottish Parliament, that means that we could be looking at the issue not being resolved until weeks before the next Scottish election.

"I think that uncertainty is damaging, a lot of Scots think it is damaging - we should get on with it."

'Political gamble'

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman, when asked repeatedly whether he supported Ms Alexander's stance, said: "The position taken by the Labour Party leader [Wendy Alexander] is a matter for her."

The spokesman said Mr Brown was confident in the strength of the argument and that any calls for independence would be defeated.

The Labour Westminster group meeting on Tuesday evening was pre-arranged to allow MPs to question Chancellor Alistair Darling, but Ms Alexander's stance will be discussed, according to a source.

Ms Goldie said of the plans: "This is a reckless political gamble which has betrayed the best interests of Scotland.

"I am a staunch supporter of devolution and refuse to play fast and loose with our future. Wendy Alexander is dancing to Alex Salmond's jig and pandering to the agenda of the SNP."