Scottish independence: Cameron says No vote 'not for status quo'

The prime minister has called for "cross-party consensus" on further devolution if there is a No vote in the referendum on Scottish independence.

On a visit to Glasgow, David Cameron told BBC Scotland's Reporting Scotland programme voting No was not simply voting for the status quo.

And he said he thought the Better Together campaign was doing a good job.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said nobody would believe Tory promises of more powers for Scotland.

Speaking to Reporting Scotland, Mr Cameron said: "All the parties are producing their own ideas, you've seen ideas from Labour, you're seeing ideas from the Liberal Democrats, you'll have ideas from the Conservatives in the next few weeks.

"I think that people in Scotland will be able to see that all the parities who feel passionate about keeping our family of nations together are also passionate about further devolution.

"So that people who vote No know that they are actually voting not simply for the status quo but for the best of both worlds.

"Being able to make more decisions here in Scotland while remaining part of this extraordinary family of nations that has achieved such great things in the past and can achieve great things in the future."

However Mr Cameron said he could not guarantee legislation for more powers would be included in the first Queen's speech after the next general election, if he is in government.

'Tory takeover'

Mr Salmond dismissed the pledge by the prime minister to further expand devolution in a post-referendum Scotland.

He said: "Nobody will believe Tory promises of more powers for Scotland, because the last time that happened the only thing Scotland got was Thatcherism and 18 years of Tory governments we didn't vote for.

"The prime minister is perfectly entitled to come to Scotland, and we are perfectly entitled to ask why he isn't prepared to have a debate in Scotland."

Earlier this week, former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling, who leads the pro-Union Better Together campaign, rejected claims he had been sidelined and said the movement had "many voices".

Mr Cameron insisted the Better Together campaign was doing a "very good job" and Mr Darling was "absolutely the right person" to lead it.

He said: "I think Alistair's doing an excellent job, they're making a very positive case for Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom, but they're also quite rightly warning of the risks of separation.

"I don't think that we'd be doing our jobs as politicians if we didn't warn of some of those risks."

But Mr Salmond said the prime minister's visit was undermining the Better Together case.

He added: "Any Tory politician is a liability to the No campaign, and it is a huge problem for Labour that they are tied together with the Tories - the Tory takeover of the No campaign, with Alistair Darling pushed aside, is one of the reasons the Yes campaign is gaining so much ground."

The referendum on Scottish independence takes place on 18 September, when voters will be asked the yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"