Scotland could abandon currency union with UK, Alex Salmond says

Mr Salmond also said that he thought Theresa May’s efforts to postpone a second referendum until after Brexit had the potential to backfire and embolden support for independence

Mr Salmond said that it would be appropriate for the vote to be held at the same time as Westminster votes on a Brexit deal (SNP)

Alex Salmond has said that Scotland’s nationalists were open to abandoning previous plans for a currency union with the rest of the UK in the case of independence.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Scotland’s former First Minister who spearheaded the failed 2014 independence campaign, ruled out using the euro in the case of a split, but suggested that Scotland could start using a completely new currency, the value of which would either float freely or be pegged to the pound.

Mr Salmond also said that he thought Theresa May’s efforts to postpone a second referendum until after Brexit had the potential to backfire and embolden support for independence.

He also confirmed that Scotland would seek to remain in the single market after a possible second referendum, even though it would have to initially leave the European Union as a result of Brexit.

After First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday outlined her plans for a second vote on independence, Ms May on Thursday moved to block a referendum, saying that “now is not the time”.

The Prime Minister said that a repeat of the 2014 vote was not appropriate as the country is already going through a huge transition. She said that Scottish people needed a fuller picture before taking any decision on the future.

“It would be unfair to the people of Scotland at the moment that they would be being asked to make a crucial decision without the information they need to make that decision,” she said in an interview with ITV News.

However, Mr Salmond said that it would be appropriate for the vote to be held at the same time as Westminster votes on a Brexit deal. “That vote will have to take place before the end of March 2019,” he said.