Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar poured scorn on the SNP yesterday when he accused the Nationalists of backtracking from their own flagship policy of calling an independence referendum if they win control of the Scottish Parliament next year.

Mr Dewar, under fire from his own party for not being hard enough on the SNP, accused Alex Salmond of running scared of his own policy by turning the referendum pledge into the euphemistically termed ''mechanism for consulting Scots on moving towards independence''.

Mr Salmond used that phrase yesterday after reports that the Nationalists were softening their line on an independence referendum which was promised recently in the wake of sensational findings in System Three polls conducted exclusively for The Herald.

But the party also made clear that the idea will not be dropped, despite criticisms that it is getting ahead of itself because of exciting poll indications, and claims that the issue would isolate the Nationalists in any attempt to form a coalition government in Edinburgh.

When System Three two months ago put the SNP a single point behind Labour, the Nationalists repeated their General Election promise to call an independence referendum if they won control of Holyrood.

Senior executive member Nicola Sturgeon made clear it would be held in the first term of an SNP administration. Some observers later reported the SNP was considering doing so in the first year but the party yesterday confirmed that was not on offer.

Instead Mr Salmond pledged to ''consult the people on the question of independence in a referendum within the Parliament's four-year term'' - the wording which brought sarcasm from Mr Dewar who is being advised to take a tougher line with the SNP.

Responding to the SNP's ''so-called Cabinet meeting'' yesterday, Mr Dewar said: ''The truth is that in all the warm words from the Nationalists they haven't the courage to say what they really stand for. In today's statement there is a clear admission that they can't put up front the only reason for their existence - namely the break-up of Britain.

''Today the immediate referendum they were promising just a few weeks ago has turned into a mechanism for consulting Scots in the first four years of a Scottish Parliament. The obvious back-tracking isn't because they've changed their minds, it's because they know Scots don't want their separatist wrecking referendum. Let's remember the SNP were formed to break up Britain.

''They can duck and dive all they like but at the end of the day that is what they're about.

''The SNP have one main policy and one main policy only - separatism. On the evidence of today it's the policy that dare not speak its name.''

Mr Salmond's statement came after a meeting of party spokespeople - described by the Nationalists as a ''Scottish Cabinet'' - at which it worked on policies for the Scottish Parliament elections.

''Unlike the London-based parties the SNP are a real Scottish party which is why only the SNP have the ability to deliver a policy portfolio that puts Scotland first,'' Mr Salmond said, promising more details later on policies in health, education, housing, land reform, business promotion and employment.

He promised commercial ''embassies'' to market Scotland and Scottish business around the world, a health commission to improve the National Health Service, and other initiatives including better housing and proportional representation for local government elections.

He pledged a strong Scottish platform for the SNP in the elections, adding: ''Labour, by contrast, will be standing on a shoogly, patch-up created at Millbank Tower in London.''

However, Scottish industry Minister Brian Wilson, who has been given the role of leading Labour's fight against the SNP, denounced the plan for Scottish embassies, saying it was ''muddled thinking which would cost Scotland heavily while losing existing representation of Scotland around the world''.