Final push in Scottish referendum

Both sides in the Scottish referendum debate are making their final pitch to voters on the last day of campaigning.

It comes as the latest polls suggested the result remained too close to call, with a slender lead for a “No” vote.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has written to voters appealing to them to vote “Yes”, saying “let’s do this”.

Key figures from the pro-Union Better Together campaign were out meeting nightworkers into Wednesday, ahead of a Love Scotland, Vote No rally.

Three new polls, one by Opinium for the Daily Telegraph, another by ICM for the Scotsman and a third by Survation for the Daily Mail, were published on Tuesday evening.

With undecided voters excluded, they all suggested a lead for “No” of 52% to 48%.

In other developments:

• Former US President Bill Clinton stepped into the debate urging Scots to vote No. He said: “Unity with maximum self-determination sends a powerful message to a world torn by identity conflicts that it is possible to respect our differences while living and working together.”

•About 1,500 Yes supporters bearing Saltire flags, badges and blue campaign T-shirts gathered for a rally in Glasgow’s George Square on Tuesday evening.

•The Scottish Sun’s front page on Wednesday morning features a picture of Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond and the headline is “Britain’s Got Talent V The Eks Factor” The paper says: “Your voice, your choice, your vote.”

•Fourteen former British armed forces chiefs warned in an open letter that a “Yes” vote would make the whole of Britain more vulnerable to attack.

On the final day of campaigning, in a letter to the people of Scotland, Mr Salmond told them they will hold power in their hands as they vote to determine their country’s future on Thursday.

He asked voters to step back from the political arguments and statistics that have defined the two-year campaign and trust in themselves as they go into the polling booth.

BBC