Robertson defiant after ‘scum’ attack

A former secretary general ofNato saidherefuses to be “shouted down” by people opposed to his anti-independence views.

Lord Robertson, an exUK defence minister, said he was called “scum, vermin and a pestilential parasite” after he claimed breakdown of the Union could have a “cataclysmic” impact on the west.

The ex-MP said many other people agreed with his views but “dare not say it themselves for fear of being thrown to the wolves”.

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, a former Scottish secretary, faced a backlash when he said the “loudest cheers” for the break-up of Britain would be “from our adversaries and from our enemies”. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “shocked” by the former Labour MP’s “insulting and offensive” comments. She urged proUK campaigners to “step back into the realms of rational debate”.

Lord Robertson said: “I won't be shouted down by these people. Nor will I be shouted down by my political opponents who throw insults but who will not engage on the substantive issue, which is that the world outside Scotland cares about the decision we are about to take.”

A spokesman for Alex Salmond claimed the “severestcondemnation” of Lord Robertson’s “offensive forces of darkness” speech came from his own colleagues in the Better Together campaign.