Nationalists seek self-rule ballots SNP and Plaid Cymru reject Labour's devolution plans

Referendums on self-rule for Wales and Scotland were demanded by the Scottish and Welsh nationalists yesterday as criticism mounted on Labour's plans for devolution.

Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, and Dafydd Wigley, president of Plaid Cymru, in separate press conferences at Westminster, called for the voters in Scotland and Wales to be offered a range of options, including home rule, in referendums.

Both nationalist parties attacked as "second class" Labour's proposed plans for a tax-raising parliament in Scotland and an assembly without tax-raising powers in Wales.

Mr Salmond said there was a case for a three-way referendum, offering voters the status quo, devolution or independence. "In terms of the Scottish perspective, Labour's plans are inadequate," he said.

The Scottish parliament under Labour would have no powers over social security, VAT, oil and gas revenues and defence, he said. "People in that assembly would soon get frustrated in not being able to have power of these issues where there is a consensus in Scotland."

He accused Labour of producing plans in the interests of the Labour Party and not in the interests of Scotland. "Labour have no answer to Tam Dalyell's [Labour MP for Linlithgow] question: why should Scottish MPs vote on English education when they no longer will be able to vote on Scottish education?"

Plaid Cymru are planning to use the late-February by-election in Islwyn, the Labour seat held by Neil Kinnock, to attack Labour's devolution plans. The former Labour leader had a majority of 24,728 before becoming a European commissioner.

Plaid Cymru's whip, Ieuan Wyn Jones, the MP for Ynys Mon, yesterday criticised Labour for offering a second-class form of assembly for Wales compared to the tax-raising parliament for Scotland.

The Welsh nationalists said they took 17 per cent of the votes in the European elections in Wales, compared to the Tories' 14 per cent, and hold more county and district council seats than the Conservatives in Wales.

Mr Jones said the rise in nationalist support was partly due to appointment of John Redwood, a Thatcherite Cabinet minister, as Secretary of State for Wales: "John Redwood has chosen the path of cutbacks and confrontation. He seems to be trying to wrenchWales back to mainstream British politics. In doing so, he is creating a stronger groundswell in favour of constitutional change."

Leading article, page 15

Doing their own thing? page 17