There are significant gaps in the Scottish Government’s proposed foreign policy if it gains independence, according to a report by Westminster’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
However, the group’s chairman admitted the loss of Scotland would be “keenly felt” by the rest of the United Kingdom in the event of a Yes vote in next September’s referendum.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claimed the report supports SNP calls for technical discussions before the referendum to establish areas of formal negotiation required after independence.
The document said there is an urgent need for “clarity and candour” on the international challenges an independent Scotland would face.
It added that there has not been enough analysis on what overseas diplomatic network and external security and intelligence provision would have to be set up.
A number of SNP policies are underpinned by a belief that goodwill for Scotland will trump difficulties, it claims, and says a more realistic assessment of the extent to which Scotland could expect the rest of the United Kingdom to cooperate on security and intelligence is needed.
The report says there is a pressing need for official legal advice on a wide range of international legal issues.
Committee chairman Richard Ottaway said: “The implications of Scottish independence are rightly being discussed by people of all political persuasions and the loss of Scotland would be keenly felt by the UK.
“At the moment, there are some quite worrying gaps in the Scottish Government’s foreign policy vision and certain assumptions are being made which don’t seem to be based on concrete evidence.”
Ms Sturgeon claimed the report was negative about the potential of independence, selective in its quoting of the evidence and prone to mischaracterising the position of the Scottish Government.
She said: “We have continued to press the UK Government to engage in constructive discussions and sharing of information prior to the referendum so that voters are as informed as possible about what happens next.
“The Electoral Commission have also made recommendations to this effect.
“Yet the United Kingdom Government chooses to focus on the negative case for maintaining the status quo while steadfastly refusing to indicate that it will conduct sensible and consensual negotiations in the event of a vote for independence.”