Scottish Secretary: Independence has ‘precious little’ business support

Michael Moore: Hoping to make business case for Scotland to remain in Union.

The Scottish Secretary is embarking on a week-long tour of businesses to discuss the benefits of being part of the United Kingdom.

Michael Moore will meet workers in key sectors of the economy, taking in a distillery, a tidal energy scheme, a financial services firm, an electronics company and a bus manufacturer.

The tour begins on Tuesday at Dumbarton-based Aggreko UK Ltd Manufacturing, a power-generator company with contracts for the Olympics.

It follows last Friday's launch of the Yes Scotland campaign, which aims to persuade voters to back independence in a referendum planned for autumn 2014.

Mr Moore has criticised the campaign, saying there was "precious little" support from businesses.

Speaking before the tour gets under way, Mr Moore said: "This week I will be visiting a diverse range of businesses and organisations doing great things in Scotland, for Scotland.

"From island distilleries off our west coast to a bus maker in the heart of Scotland, you will see people working hard and taking pride in what they do.

"These companies in vital sectors such as energy, financial services, manufacturing and food and drink are crucial to the future growth of the Scottish and UK economies.

"I will be taking the opportunity this week to bang the drum for the benefits of being part of the United Kingdom and how it helps these sectors.

"We should not take the strength of Scotland within the UK for granted. We are going to keep making the case and I will be listening closely to what Scotland has to say this week."

He will then visit insurer Aviva and manufacturer Allied Vehicles in Glasgow on Tuesday afternoon.

The tour will move the focus of debate onto "real issues", according to the UK Government's Scotland Office.

The launch of the Yes Scotland campaign saw famous faces such as actors Brian Cox and Alan Cumming team up with politicians, including First Minister Alex Salmond. Former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir George Mathewson also backs the campaign.

Supporters at the event, staged in an Edinburgh cinema, signed a "Yes declaration" stating it is fundamentally better if decisions about the country's future are taken by the people of Scotland. It aims to get one million voters to sign it before the referendum.

On Sunday, Mr Moore said there had been a lack of support for independence among business leaders. He told a television interviewer: "I thought it was quite significant that this week we saw precious little of the business community supporting the independence campaign.”

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