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Britain's finance minister George Osborne is likely to rule out a formal currency union with Scotland if it votes for independence, the BBC reported yesterday, citing government sources.
Pro-independence Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond favours such an arrangement should Scotland vote to leave the United Kingdom in the September 18 referendum.
But the BBC reported that Osborne, who has already said London is unlikely to back the idea, will officially rule it out today.
Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday that a formal currency union would be "very difficult to justify" and Osborne would soon have "more to say".
Salmond's deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, accused London of trying to "bully" Scotland into voting for the status quo and warned that an independent Scotland without a currency union would not take on its share of the UK's ever-expanding debt pile.
"It's a bluff," Sturgeon told BBC radio, claiming Osborne's position would put London at odds with public opinion on both sides of the border.
"It would cost their own businesses hundreds of millions of pounds, it would blow a massive hole in their balance of payments and it would leave them having to pick up the entirety of UK debt.
"We, Scotland, should continue to use our pound, because it is our pound as much as anybody else's."
Asked if she had an alternative plan in case a currency union could not be agreed, Sturgeon said: "I'm not going to be bullied out of the right position for Scotland and the rest of the UK."
Salmond and Sturgeon's pro-independence Scottish National Party has said Scotland will not join the euro - formerly their favourite option.
The SNP also does not want to establish a separate currency, preferring to remain with the Bank of England as the central bank and lender of last resort.
If London says no to such an arrangement post-independence, Scotland could in theory carry on using the pound sterling without having any say in Bank of England monetary policy.
Several countries worldwide have unilaterally adopted foreign currencies, notably the US dollar and the euro.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney said last month an independent Scotland would have to cede some sovereignty if it wanted to keep the pound.
He said the difficulties in the euro zone had shown the "clear risks" of having a currency union without firm foundations.
The latest opinion poll in Scotland found 34 per cent in favour of independence and 52 per cent against. Twelve per cent were undecided.


For Scotland, currency union with Britain likely out if independence in

Bank of England's Mark Carney called for compromise. Photo: AP

British Chancellor George Osborne. Photo: EPA

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Photo: Reuters

Cameron urges Britons to fight to keep Scotland 

British Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech on Scottish independence in the Olympic Park in east London on Friday. Photo: AFP

Glasgow voters likely to determine whether Scotland stays in the UK

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, unveil plans for independence. Photo: AFP

Illustration: Henry Wong

A sign in Gaelic welcomes people to the Partick area of Glasgow. Photo: AFP

Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond unveils independence blueprint

Alex Salmond claims there would be no need to increase taxes if Scotland ends a 300-year union with the UK next year. Photo: Reuters

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hold copies of the referendum white paper on independence at its launch in Glasgow. Photo: Reuters
