The Electoral Commission is to tell Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond to rewrite his referendum question on independence.
Sky News understands that the elections watchdog will recommend changes to the Scottish Government’s preferred question: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?”
It comes after the Electoral Commission tested the public on the clarity, neutrality and simplicity of the question and concluded that it needed to be changed.
In presenting its findings on Wednesday, it will suggest an alternative form of words.
Opponents of Alex Salmond’s Scottish National Party (SNP) administration have questioned the fairness of the draft question, claiming that asking voters to “agree” to something makes them more inclined towards it.
Holyrood’s opposition parties insist that the SNP must abide by the findings of the Electoral Commission when the yes/no question on independence is put to Scots in late 2014.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson MSP told Sky News: “It is only right that voters are presented with a fair and concise question in the referendum on whether they want to separate from the UK.
“There is no question the Electoral Commission is the most appropriate body to carry out this exercise and their conclusions should be fully respected.
“If the Commission does indeed reject Alex Salmond’s preferred question then he will have no choice but to come back with a fairer form of words.”
Ultimately, the question will be a decision for the Scottish Parliament, in which the SNP has a majority. So far, it has refused to commit itself to the watchdog’s recommendations.
On the eve of the Commission publishing its findings, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs: “I have made very clear the considerable weight that will be attached to the Electoral Commission recommendations by the Scottish Government.
“I’ve also made clear … there would have to be a very good reason to depart from Electoral Commission recommendations, and any government so doing would have to explain its position to this Parliament.
“But it would be an utter abdication of my responsibility as a minister to this Parliament to say what I thought of Electoral Commission recommendations before I had even seen what these recommendations are.”
The Electoral Commission will also make recommendations on campaign spending limits, which might also sit uneasily with the SNP.
The Commission is believed to favour restricting each campaign to £1.5m.
The Nationalists want a lower limit, fearing their campaign could be out-financed by pro-Union funding.
