‘No’ may not be end of saga

SCOTLAND could face another independence referendum within four years even if it votes No this September, according to one of the nation’s leading electoral experts.

Professor Patrick Dunleavy explained at a seminar in London last week that should the Tories win next year’s General Election and hold a vote on Britain’s membership of the EU in 2017 as promised, a situation could emerge in which the UK left Europe but the majority of Scots voted to stay in.

He warned:“There’s a risk this referendum this year will be questioned. We could have a push to re-do the referendum within four years.”

“It is ludicrous that Nicola Sturgeon seems to be suggesting that an independent Scotland would decide its funding policy according to what happens at Westminster.”

The SNP- led administration says students from the rest of the UK would still pay £9,000 tuition fees in the event of a Yes vote, even though Scottish students and those from the rest of the EU would continue to be entitled to free education.

The Yes camp believes it will be able to see off an expectant legal challenge but a string of experts, including EU Commissioner for Education Androulla Vassiliou, have said the fees idea is not feasible.

It is feared tens of thousands of students from the rest of the UK would swamp Scottish universities in a bid to avoid tuition fees south of the Border.

Asked if tuition fees would be protected in an independent Scotland, Miss Sturgeon said: “Right now, we have to charge English students tuition fees as their Government chooses to charge them and we would continue that in an independent Scotland – we would be allowed to do that under European law.

“If we had 10% of all students in England over to here, then 80% of our own people’s places at university would be under threat.

“We would waive the charges if t he Gove r nme n t d ow n in England also chose to waive them.”