Labour have accused the First Minister of delaying the referendum because he is frightened to face the Scottish people.

Alex Salmond revealed that he intends to hold the poll in the autumn of 2014 and he says he will stick to that timetable.

At First Minister's Questions MSPs had the first chance to debate the referendum since Alex Salmond dramatically revealed his preferred date for the vote live on STV News on Tuesday.

The MSPs were clearly annoyed he had made that announcement live on television rather than confirming it at Holyrood.

But Labour took their chance to point out there's no constitutional reason why the SNP have to wait so long to hold the referendum.

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont MSP said: "So when it comes to constitutional change, where Donald Dewar delivers, four months, two years, Salmond dithers, and we're going to get at least another 1,000 days.

"What's he frightened of? He has a mandate, he has a majority; surely it cannot be that he does not have the courage to face the verdict of the Scottish people."

Alex Salmond hit back warning them of the dangers of being too close to the Conservatives following the scenes of the party leaders united in agreement at Westminster on Wednesday.

The First Minister said: "Yesterday in the House of Commons, the prime minister was moved to say to Ed Miliband 'I agree with you 100%'. Let me warn the Labour Party - if they go in with the Tories, they'll suck you in and they'll spit you out as they've done to the Liberal Democrats."

The SNP meanwhile has welcomed a new poll which shows a third of scots now support independence.

With 33% of Scots now in favour — a higher figure than before the SNP's landslide election victory last year — the SNP also claim they have had a surge in membership since David Cameron waded into this debate.

However opposition parties were quick to point out that 53% of Scots are still against going it alone.