THE Scottish National Party has reaffirmed its commitment to a referendum on independence if it wins power in the Scottish Parliament, but to be held during the first fixed four-year term of the Parliament, not during the first year.

SNP leaders have denied reports that, now the polls suggest they have a real chance of power, they were softening their stance on the promise in order to woo the Liberal Democrats into a possible coalition at Holyrood.

The Nationalists have insisted that the price of any deal would be support for the single question referendum, but Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace has already told them not to pick up the phone on that basis.

The SNP also appear to be shying away from making use of the Parliament's power to raise tax by up to 3p in the pound and say no decision has been taken. A policy to reduce taxes on business is also under discussion.

On GMTV's Sunday Programme, Alex Salmond was asked if he wanted the referendum to be held ''pdq''. He replied: ''Well it's not pdq, it's within the parliamentary term. That's within a four-year term of the administration of the first parliament.''

An SNP spokesman insisted later that this had always been the party's policy, but there had apparently been some confusion in the media between holding the poll in the first year and holding it, as the party was committed to doing, during the first four-year term.

Also on GMTV, Charles Kennedy of the Liberal Democrats said you could not form an administration on the basis that you were going to have a referendum on independence. What the people of Scotland wanted was stable government and proper policy delivery.

For the Tories, Michael Ancram claimed yesterday that the Government was not speaking out on whether the SNP would have the power to call a referendum on independence if they formed an administration.

He said: ''Donald Dewar and Gordon Brown have refused to answer any of these urgent questions. Labour are not facing up to political reality.

''They are burying their heads in the sand and not addressing problems which need immediate answers. In the interests of the Union they should speak up now.''

At a meeting of Scottish Labour's National Executive at the weekend the Scottish Secretary warned that the Scottish people could not allow themselves to use the parliamentary elections to register a protest vote. They had to treat them in the same way as a General Election.

Despite warnings that it might prove illegal, the executive unanimously approved the party's plan to achieve gender balance in the new Parliament by twinning constituencies, where Labour believes it has a roughly equal chance of success, which will then choose one woman and one male candidate. Five constituencies, including Govan, have not been included in these arrangements.

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