THE Scottish Government was facing renewed calls last night to drop its £9 million referendum bill after a poll revealed that support for independence has fallen to its lowest level since the SNP won power in 2007. In the latest YouGov poll, just 29 per cent wanted separation, compared with 57 per cent who did not. The poll also showed that Scots were split over whether there should be a referendum in the next two or three years – 45 per cent said Yes, 47 per cent said No.

The poll, commissioned by a London-based newspaper, has thrown up further questions about SNP ministers continuing the National Conversation – which has so far cost £1.8m – and trying to push through a referendum next year. Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie said: "Mr Salmond should stop wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on his obsession with an independence referendum, ditch his doomed bill and get on with the job people elected him to do."

Only a quarter of Scots believe a referendum on independence should be held as soon as possible a new poll has revealed. The survey, by Ipsos Mori, also found that one in five people questioned said they wanted Scotland to become an independent country.

The findings were published the day before the SNP Scottish Government publishes a White Paper setting out options on Scotland's constitutional future. This will then pave the way for a referendum Bill, which will be published early next year. However the Nationalists do not currently have the parliamentary support needed to get this through Holyrood.

Maintain the status quo (15%)
Some new powers (11%)
Major new powers (11%)
Independence (63%)

Alex Salmond has outlined plans for a two-question referendum on Scotland’s future and pledged to fight for a Yes-Yes vote. This would see him argue in favour of a vote for more powers for the Scottish Parliament, and then a vote to go all the way to independence. The draft bill offers two alternatives for the first question – either “devolution max” in which everything bar monetary policy, defence and foreign affairs are handed to Holyrood, or the more modest Calman Commission package.

However, the First Minister was given no indication from political rivals yesterday that they had any intention of shifting from their implacable opposition to holding a referendum. Mr Salmond responded by warning them that if they blocked such a poll from taking place, “this would become a major, if not the dominant, issue at the next Scottish Parliament election.”

Support for Scottish independence has increased to its highest level in three years, according to a new poll. A survey of 910 people suggests 40% want the Scottish Parliament to have more powers so that independence can "be achieved".

The share of people opposed to the proposal was 44%, while 16% said they do not know. Commissioned by the SNP, the TNS opinion poll puts support up by nine points compared with the same time last year and close to the 41% support in a poll from April 2008.

VETERAN nationalist Margo MacDonald has told the SNP it is time to end the "stealth" campaign driving its independence push in recent years and give Scots the real picture. The former SNP MP and MSP has warned she will only back an independence referendum if a full public information campaign is undertaken about the impact of Scotland going it alone.

But she believes Scots are ready to vote "yes" after growing disillusionment with Westminster over the recent wars in the Gulf and the MPs' expenses scandal. Ms MacDonald has been critical of the gradualist approach which hinged on voters seeing a nationalist government at work and realising there was effectively nothing to fear from unionist scaremongering about separatism under the SNP.

Much more important is ensuring we have a decent government run by politicians who have a degree of common sense (a trait that I found to be remarkably absent from politicians during a couple of decades as a civil servant). Scotland only has one statesman worthy of the name, and he happens to be supported by the only stateswoman in the country worthy of the name. Stuff arguments about independence: voting SNP is the only way to ensure a reasonably competent government (which is the best you can ever hope from a government) for the coming four years.

Westminster could hand Holyrood the legal power to run a Scottish independence referendum, the BBC has learned. It is one scenario being considered as the House of Lords prepares to scrutinise a bill to give the Scottish Parliament more power. The SNP government has pledged to hold a referendum in the second half of its parliamentary term. But a debate has focused on who should be allowed to call it.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the majority Scottish government had won the right to stage the referendum following its landslide election victory in May. His comments have been previously echoed by Scottish Secretary Michael Moore. Whitehall sources have confirmed they are discussing the possibility of using a special clause in the Scotland Act which would allow Holyrood to run the poll.

Alex Salmond has said he wants to hold an independence referendum in Scotland in the autumn of 2014. The Scottish first minister said this date would allow people to make a "considered" decision on the country's future within the United Kingdom.

The news came as the UK government said its Scottish counterpart could not legally go ahead without its authority. It has said it wanted to work with the SNP-led administration amid a row over the timing and conditions for a poll.

Confirming the Scottish government's preferred date for a referendum, Mr Salmond - who wants Scotland to leave the UK - said holding a poll in 2014 would allow all the necessary legislation required to authorise it to be passed and for proper preparations to be made.