The campaign for Scottish Independence suffered a setback yesterday when two of the country’s biggest employers warned on the risks of a Yes vote, in a sign that companies are ready to break their silence on the issue.
Standard Life, the insurance company that employs 5,000 people north of the border, said constitutional changes could prompt it to shift large parts of operations out of Scotland in the most significant intervention by a big company.
Royal Bank of Scotland, which has 12,000 staff in the country, also warned a vote for independence could damage its credit rating, although its chief executive insisted the group would remain “neutral” on the outcome of the referendum.