By John Stevens Alex Salmond yesterday admitted that the nationalists are now the ‘underdogs’ in next month’s Scottish referendum – after he suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Alistair Darling in the first TV debate. Mr Salmond’s independence campaign, which is 16 points behind in the polls, suffered a massive setback when the First Minister faltered as he was asked to explain how his dream would work in practice. Mr Salmond was booed and heckled by the audience after he refused to answer a question five times – failing to say what his ‘plan B’ would be if Westminster refused to let an independent Scotland use the pound in a currency union.
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Opinion poll shows Yes campaign is 16 points behind among decided voters
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Snap poll after debate shows 56 per cent felt Alistair Darling won the row
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But Scots First Minister says there is an increase in support in some groups
A recent opinion poll, which was released to coincide with the two-hour debate on Tuesday night, showed that out of those who have made up their mind, 58 per cent plan to vote No compared to 42 per cent who will choose @placeholder.