Britain says not making contingency plans for Scottish independence

The British government is not making contingency plans for the possibility that Scots will vote for independence on Sept. 18, a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday.

With 10 days to go before the vote, a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times showed supporters of independence had taken their first opinion poll lead since the referendum campaign began.

When asked if the government's position on making contingency plans had changed following that poll, Cameron's spokesman told reporters: "No. There has been no change here. The government's entire focus ... is on making the case for the UK staying together."

Cameron will visit Scotland ahead of the vote to continue to argue the case for Scotland's 307-year union with England remaining intact, the spokesman said.

"It is very important to go out with the strong argument that the government and others have and to make that case, because the argument has to be won. There has never been any complacency whatsoever about the importance of going out and making the argument," he said.

Britain's three main political parties are due to set out this week the detail of and timetable for plans to hand Scotland greater powers if it rejects independence.

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