The boss of one of the world’s leading finance firms has distanced himself from a critical report on independence by his industry’s umbrella body.
Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert said the report, from Scottish Financial Enterprise, had focused on the “negatives” of Scotland becoming an independent nation
The SFE document concluded that the Scottish Government’s white paper was largely a “manifesto for the SNP”.
It warned that leaving the UK would involve “major risks and uncertainties”, with higher costs and complexities hampering competitiveness.
A high-powered group including the SFE’s former executive director, James Scott, and former RBS chief executive and chairman Sir George Mathewson, later countered that independence could generate jobs and investment.
Mr Gilbert said of the SFE briefing: “Our position is neutral.
“It’s unfortunate that the document really just outlines all the negatives rather than being balanced.
“It’s unfortunate that it hasn’t come from the board of SFE.”
The SFE’s chief executive, Owen Kelly, insisted that the organisation was politically neutral. It was simply offering “a considered and impartial view” on how independence would affect the financial services industry as it functioned today.
He added: “Many of the most important questions about the consequences of a Yes vote cannot be answered before it occurs. What we know for sure is that there are some major risks and uncertainties directly affecting the financial services industry in Scotland.”
But Sir George and other senior figures from the fiance world said in a statement there would be opportunities to attract jobs and investment to Scotland. They added: “Any truly objective analysis of what the referendum means for business requires a more thoughtful consideration of the UK’s current trajectory.”
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney stressed that the SFE briefing was not the view of the board.
He also pointed out that, before devolution, SFE had set out “many similar arguments about taxation and uncertainty which had been shown to be misplaced”.