INDEPENDENT SCOTTISH households could be hit in the pocket through renegotiations of the EU rebate, it has been claimed.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted she could not guarantee a separate Scotland would receive the level provided to the UK yesterday.
Research by the Scottish Conservative Party claims the rebate will be worth £135 a year to the average household in Scotland by the time of independence.
When challenged on the issue in the chamber, Ms Sturgeon said she would be “confident of an independent Scotland negotiating a good deal” but admitted talks over the funding would have to take place.
Tory leader Ruth Davidson said: “Alex Salmond needs to step dealing in half-truths, assertion and wishful thinking and instead deal with the hard facts.
“His policies will hit the people of Scotland in the pocket.”
In her speech to the Parliament, Ms Sturgeon rejected claims Scotland would have to leave the EU if it were to become independent, saying there was no provision in treaties for such a move.
It comes in the wake of comments from Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, who said it is “obvious” that a newly independent state would need to apply for membership.
Ms Sturgeon added: “As head of the Commission, Mr Barroso’s opinion on this matter should be and will be by this Government treated seriously and with respect.
“That is why I have written to him seeking an early opportunity to discuss the particular process by which Scotland would become independent and the implications of that for our continued EU membership.
“But the European Commission, however important, is not the final arbiter of these matters.”
Earlier, in a hotly-contested and noisy First Minister’s Questions session, Labour leader Johann Lamont attacked the Scottish Government over the uncertainty surrounding EU membership.
She said: “Isn’t it the truth that John Swinney, Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond, all of them, are not leading Scotland, they are misleading Scotland.”