'Scotland not being independent shows devolution has worked'

While the former Labour leader did not claim the goal of devolution to be to end the Scottish independence movement, Lord Robertson – whom he appointed shadow Scottish secretary in 1995 – said devolution would “kill nationalism stone dead”.

But 25 years on from the opening of the Scottish Parliament, support for independence remains around 50% of respondents to opinion polls.

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Speaking to Holyrood magazine, the former Prime Minister said: “I do reflect on devolution a lot, and occasionally do think what should we or could we have done differently but, on the whole, I’m still of the same opinion as I was back then, which is that devolution had to happen, otherwise you’d leave Scottish people with the choice of status quo or independence, and Scotland is still part of the UK, which was part of the design – so devolution has worked, as far as I am concerned.”

He later added: “Whatever people think about Brexit, even if they’re ambivalent about it – and I obviously think it’s a terrible thing, but even if you’re ambivalent about it – you’re kind of thinking, this is a huge mess, and therefore, do we really want to gamble with the Scottish economy that is, by the way, much, much more linked to the British economy than the British economy is to Europe? Do we want to gamble with that?”

The independence movement – spearheaded by the SNP – has found itself in a stalemate with the UK Government in recent years.

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Repeated requests for the powers to hold a second referendum have either been rejected or gone ignored in the years since the cause lost the 2014 vote.

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon then sought approval from the UK Supreme Court to hold a plebiscite without Westminster approval, which the judges rejected.

The SNP then cycled through multiple positions about how to treat the upcoming election.

If the party wins a majority of seats north of the border in the July 4 poll, it will seek to give “democratic effect” to the desire for independence, which First Minister John Swinney said last week would mean seeking another referendum.

READ MORE: BBC Scotland debate: Leaders clash on independence

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However, most recent polls suggest that the SNP will not win a majority of Scottish seats next month with polling putting Labour as likely to become the biggest party.

A poll by Norstat, commissioned for The Sunday Times yesterday, put SNP on 30% in terms of Westminster voting intentions, and Labour on 34%. It also found the Scottish Conservatives on 14%, Liberal Democrats on 9%, the Greens on 4% and Alba 2%.

According to an analysis by polling expert, Professor Sir John Curtice, the figures would see Labour return 28 MPs in Scotland, up from the current two, while the SNP would win 18 seats, compared with its 48 in 2019.  The Conservatives would retain its six MPs, while Lib Dems would increase their Scottish contingent of MPs from four to five.

Responding to Sir Blair, SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown said: “Labour in Scotland will be mortified that Tony Blair, the architect of the Iraq War and NHS privatisation, has reared his head in the middle of an election campaign.

“The most recent opinion polls put independence slightly ahead or slightly behind support for continued Westminster control - and with Labour refusing to reverse some of the most damaging Tory policies such as austerity, Brexit and cuts to child benefits - it will no doubt continue to rise under a Keir Starmer government.

“On 4th July, vote SNP to put Scotland’s interests first and ensure decisions about Scotland, are made in Scotland.”