Ed Miliband will step up the campaign to save the Union today with an attack on Alex Salmond’s currency plans for an independent Scotland.
The Labour leader will rule out Scotland and the rest of the UK sharing the pound, despite the fact the first minister believes it will be in both’s interests.
Mr Miliband claimed the SNP’s failure to come up with a “plan B” if a pound share was rejected would hurt those who could lease afford it.
He is due to address the Scottish Chambers of Commerce in Glasgow alongside Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and Alistair Darling, chairman of the pro-Union Better Together campaign.
Mr Miliband will refer to Tuesday’s television debate between Mr Salmond and Mr Darling, in which the first minister refused to concede he might need a contingency plan in the event of a formal currency union being rejected.
“Nobody claiming to be a social democrat who cares about Scottish pensioners, Scottish families and Scottish businesses should dare take this risk without a currency plan,” he will say.
“If you care about social justice in our country, you can’t leave the economics to guesswork.”
The audience of business leaders will hear that those “at the top” will be able to move their money south of the border and keep the pound, but that will not be possible for working people and small businesses.
Mr Miliband will stress that if elected prime minister at next year’s general he would dismiss Mr Salmond’s demand that an independent Scotland share the pound.
“I can’s support a eurozone-style currency union. We did not join the eurozone for clear and correct economic reasons,” he will say.
“It is for the same reasons the rest of the UK should not enter into a currency union with an independent Scotland. And that’s why, as prime minister, I couldn’t agree to a currency union.”