Which former Labour cabinet minister headed the Better Together group campaigning for a No vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum?
"was led by Alistair Darling, a former Labour minister. In addition, Scottish Labour ran its own pro-UK campaign United with Labour alongside, with the support of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Anas Sarwar MP also led an unofficial organisation called the ""2014 Truth Team"", described by the party as ""dedicated to cutting through the noise and delivering [...] facts on independence"". In July 2012, a member of Scottish Labour started Labour for Independence, a rebel group of Labour supporters who back Yes Scotland in the campaign for Scottish independence. The group was dismissed by the Scottish Labour leadership as lacking"
"Better Together (campaign) Better Together was the principal campaign for a ""No"" vote in the Scottish independence referendum, 2014, advocating Scotland continuing to be part of the United Kingdom. The organisation was formed in June 2012, operating until winning the vote on the referendum's polling day on 18 September 2014 with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence and 1,617,989 (44.7%) voting in favour. In June 2014, the campaign adopted a No Thanks branding, in relation to the referendum question. Better Together was formed with the support of the three main pro-union political parties in Scotland: Scottish Labour, the Scottish Conservative Party,"
"of the poll, 17 September, Better Together held a televised event at the Community Central Hall in the Glasgow district of Maryhill. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown was the main speaker, joined by the leaders of the three Scottish political parties in Better Together. Brown addressed the audience without notes, with the Scottish media reporting positively on speech. The campaign held its referendum night event at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow, where the victory was celebrated with cheers and ceilidh dancing. In June 2014, Better Together adopted the slogan ""No Thanks"" in its campaign publicity. BBC political correspondent Iain Watson"
"join together in the Better Together campaign supporting Scotland remaining as part of the United Kingdom in the Scottish independence referendum, 2014. Following the referendum, and a Conservative majority government was returned in the 2015 general election with David Mundell appointed Secretary of State for Scotland, replacing the previous Liberal Democrat incumbents who served during the 2010-15 Coalition government. The UK Government set about implementing the recommendations of the cross-party Smith Commission, giving a range of new powers to the Scottish Parliament. Annabel Goldie led the party into the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, having successfully campaigned in budget negotiations with"
"the matter was led from London rather than Edinburgh. Lamont also led the party through the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, during which Labour joined the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the Better Together campaign, an alliance of parties that campaigned for a ""No"" vote. Lamont herself had a relatively low profile during the period prior to the poll, while Labour's association with the Conservatives was viewed as a betrayal among its traditional supporters. The referendum was held on 18 September 2014, and saw a turnout of 3,619,915, or 85 per cent of those eligible to vote. Scotland rejected independence,"
"United with Labour United with Labour was the Scottish Labour Party's campaign for a ""No"" vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. It was launched in May 2013 by Johann Lamont, Anas Sarwar, and Gordon Brown, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. It was intended that the campaign would involve ""roadshows across Scotland"", with at least one being attended by Ed Miliband. Unlike Labour for Independence, the Labour campaign for a ""Yes"" vote, ""United with Labour"" did not have a website other than that of the Scottish Labour Party. Labour also held the chair of cross-party campaign Better Together, with"
"a further 2 senior Labour MSPs sitting on the board. United with Labour United with Labour was the Scottish Labour Party's campaign for a ""No"" vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. It was launched in May 2013 by Johann Lamont, Anas Sarwar, and Gordon Brown, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. It was intended that the campaign would involve ""roadshows across Scotland"", with at least one being attended by Ed Miliband. Unlike Labour for Independence, the Labour campaign for a ""Yes"" vote, ""United with Labour"" did not have a website other than that of the Scottish Labour Party. Labour"
"Advocates as they were investigating his financial affairs. Darling was the Chairman and one of the directors of the Better Together campaign, which campaigned for a ""No"" vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. He was involved in the campaign's launch in June 2012, delivered a speech on the subject in the annual John P Mackintosh lecture in November 2012, and addressed a fringe meeting at the Scottish Conservative Conference in June 2013. In August 2014, Darling took part in """" and """", televised debates with First Minister Alex Salmond on the pros and cons of Scottish Independence. Darling"
"PBTIF; this council has both the support of the UK and Pakistan government and is a vehicle to increase bilateral trade and investment in both countries. In June 2013, Mobarik was appointed to the Strathclyde Commission on future devolution in Scotland, chaired by Lord Strathclyde, on behalf of the Scottish Conservative Party. The Commission published its report in June 2014. In November of the same year, Mobarik joined the board of the Better Together Campaign. Better Together was the official campaign for a No Vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum, 2014, and was chaired by Alistair Darling. Mobarik was a"
"commented that ""Better Together"" had been intended to sound positive, but it was felt that it lacked meaning. ""No Thanks"" was adopted after testing with focus groups, although Better Together remained the formal name of the campaign group itself. It was inspired by ""Non Merci"" (""No Thanks"") the slogan used in the 1980 referendum on Quebec's separation from Canada. Political parties were granted a separate campaign status to the designated organisations during the referendum. In May 2013, Scottish Labour launched its own campaign called United with Labour. Its co-ordinator, Labour MP Anas Sarwar, stated that the Labour movement had a"
"in order to answer the independence question for ""a generation"". In line with the requirements of legislation relating to the referendum, Better Together was formally designated by the UK Electoral Commission on 23 April 2014 as the lead campaign organisation in the referendum supporting a ""No"" vote. The Electoral Commission recognised that the two designated campaign groups were ""seen by both the public and the media as the lead campaigners before they had been officially designed as such"". In March 2014 the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats ruled out a currency union between the UK and an independent Scotland."
"came third in that election, with 26.7% of the vote, a fall in the Labour vote of over 7 points as compared with the 2015 election, in which Labour candidate Jim Murphy came second with 34% of the vote. Blair McDougall Blair McDougall is a political activist in the British Labour Party, best known as head strategist to the Better Together campaign during the Scottish independence referendum. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, where as chair of the Labour Club he was Ross Kemp's campaign manager during the 1999 Rectorial election. He went on to serve as chair"
"to join the Conservatives in the Better Together campaign. In 2014, Grogan was invited to make the case for Scottish independence at a Scottish Labour spring conference fringe event hosted by the Law Society of Scotland. He shared a platform with Shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran and former First Minister Henry McLeish. McLeish urged conference attendees to be ""tolerant of dissident voices"" after Grogan's advocacy of a """"Yes"""" vote prompted jeering from the audience. Writing after the debate, Grogan said that """"independence need not mean UK lite, but a progressive nation that cares for all its citizens"""", and that Labour"
"three per cent swing to Labour in Scotland amid a defeat for the party at UK level. He became Shadow Defence Secretary after the election before moving to the post of Shadow International Development Secretary in 2013. In 2011, he co-chaired the Murphy–Boyack review of the structure of the Scottish Labour Party, and was a prominent figure in the Better Together campaign during the 2014 referendum, touring 100 towns in 100 days to campaign for a ""No"" vote. Commentators, such as the BBC's Aiden James and ""The Guardian""s Severin Carrell, have described Murphy as being from the Blairite right wing"
"to promote a vote for independence. Leading members of the Scottish Green Party actively supported and became involved with the campaign from its foundation, with Patrick Harvie among the members of Yes Scotland's Advisory Board. In November 2013, Edinburgh councillor Maggie Chapman succeeded Martha Wardrop as the party's female co-convenor. In December, former convenor Robin Harper said that he would ""absolutely vote No"" in the independence referendum and offered his backing to the Better Together campaign, putting himself at odds with official party policy and its present leadership. Going on to say that he would like to help the Better"
"of the Better Together campaign while the pro-independence Scottish National Party was the main force in the Yes Scotland campaign, together with the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party. Days before the vote, with the opinion polls closing, the three Better Together party leaders issued 'The Vow', a promise of more powers for Scotland in the event of a No vote. The referendum resulted in Scotland voting by 55% to 45% to remain part of the United Kingdom. The 2015 election was held on 7 May 2015 with pre-election polls all predicting a close race and a hung"
"which she envisaged would become a cross-party movement arguing the case for keeping Scotland in the UK. At the Scottish Conservative Party conference a few weeks later, party leader Ruth Davidson called for Lamont and her opponents to work together. The Better Together Campaign, fronted by former UK Government minister Alistair Darling, was launched at an event attended by Lamont and other senior Scottish political figures at Edinburgh's Napier University on 25 June 2012. Along with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other senior Scottish Labour figures, Lamont launched the party's own pro-union campaign, United with Labour in May"
"Blair McDougall Blair McDougall is a political activist in the British Labour Party, best known as head strategist to the Better Together campaign during the Scottish independence referendum. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, where as chair of the Labour Club he was Ross Kemp's campaign manager during the 1999 Rectorial election. He went on to serve as chair of Scottish Labour Students 2001-2003 before becoming a special adviser to Ian McCartney, Minister for Trade, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon"
"until 2010. From 2012-14, Darling was the chairman of the Better Together Campaign, a cross-party group that successfully campaigned for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom in the 2014 independence referendum. On 3 November 2014, Darling announced that he was standing down at the 2015 general election. He was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours and was created Baron Darling of Roulanish, of Great Bernera in the County of Ross and Cromarty, on 1 December 2015. Darling was a vocal advocate for the Remain campaign in the referendum on June 23 2016. Alistair Darling"
"Act 2009, Scotland Act 2012, Wales Act 2014, and the Scotland Act 2016. On 18 September, a referendum was held in Scotland on whether to leave the United Kingdom and become an independent country. The three UK-wide political parties - Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats - campaigned together as part of the Better Together campaign while the pro-independence Scottish National Party was the main force in the Yes Scotland campaign, together with the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party. Days before the vote, with the opinion polls closing, the three Better Together party leaders issued 'The Vow', a"
"of members into branches based on Holyrood constituencies rather than Westminster constituencies. On 17 December 2011, Johann Lamont MSP was elected as leader and Anas Sarwar MP was elected as her deputy. In the 2012 Scottish local elections, Labour were outpolled by the SNP but gained votes and council seats. They held their majorities on the councils of Glasgow and North Lanarkshire and regained control of Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. For the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, the Scottish Labour Party joined with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to form the pro-union Better Together campaign against Scottish independence. It"
"was located in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh. It was formally dissolved on 31 May 2016. Alistair Darling chaired the board of Better Together alongside its directors, initially Conservative MSP David McLetchie (died August 2013); Craig Harrow, convener of the Scottish Liberal Democrats; and Labour MSP Richard Baker. In October 2012, Labour MSP Jackie Baillie was added as a further director, followed in March 2013 by businessman Phil Anderton. In November 2013, four additional directors were added: Nosheena Mobarik, who was formerly chair of CBI Scotland and later a Scottish Conservative member of the House of Lords; Scottish Conservative Director"
"to create apprenticeships, and ensure workers in public-facing roles have minimum standards of English. In November 2014, Labour announced plans to require new EU migrants wait two years before claiming benefits. Miliband campaigned in the Scottish independence referendum with the cross-party Better Together campaign, supporting Scotland's membership of the United Kingdom. Opinion polls showed solid leads for the 'no' campaign, with a 20 point-lead on 19 August. However, by the end of the month, the lead has fallen to just 6 points, with YouGov analysis showing a big shift in support among Labour supporters. Miliband made an unplanned visit to"
"different vision of Scotland's future from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, but would also work with Better Together. In March 2012, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson launched Conservative Friends of the Union, the party's campaign group. Although the UK Independence Party (UKIP) also favoured Scotland remaining within the United Kingdom, Better Together has refused to work with them on the grounds that ""they are not a Scottish party"". UKIP in return accused Better Together of being ""petty and small minded"". The campaign was officially incorporated on 1 June 2012 as Better Together 2012 Limited and its initial registered office"
"was published by Better Together. Co-signed by the 3 main UK party leaders, it stated a commitment to grant Scotland increased power over domestic taxes and parts of the social security system. Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor of London, stated his opposition to giving the Scottish Parliament greater fiscal powers. During the second televised debate, Salmond challenged Darling to specify which additional powers that could help create greater employment in Scotland would be granted if there was a ""no"" vote. During a visit to Scotland later that week, David Cameron promised more powers ""soon"". On 8 September, former Prime Minister"
"Scotland"" ignored the initial threat, but then challenged a second letter without amending its piece. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie defended the use of Taylor's money, saying: ""If it's good enough for Harris tweed, it should be good enough for Better Together."" A YouGov poll undertaken on behalf of the SNP in May 2013 suggested that 43% of Scots surveyed wanted the donation money to be returned; compared to 34%, who believed the money did not need to be returned. Better Together ran a range of paid advertisements in cinemas before cinema chains opted to ban referendum advertising, billboard"
"Leave board. Lord Forsyth, the former Secretary of State for Scotland, was also appointed to the board at this time. On 20 February 2016, following David Cameron's announcement that the EU referendum would take place on 23 June 2016, five Cabinet ministers publicly declared their support for Vote Leave: Michael Gove, the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, Leader of the House of Commons, Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, Theresa Villiers, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as well cabinet-attending minister Priti Patel, the Minister of State"
"First Minister, Jack McConnell, while he was leading the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. Former Scottish Socialist Party MSPs Carolyn Leckie and Rosie Kane were also founder members. The group's creation was welcomed by Yes Scotland and by the Scottish Government's Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Women were a particularly important demographic in the referendum due to an increasingly large gender gap in opinion polling. In March 2013, a poll showed that while 47% of men supported independence, only 25% of women did; this gap had grown by seven points on the January beforehand. Ivor Knox,"
"Scottish independence referendum in 2014, Booker signed a letter from the ""Better Together"" campaign urging people to vote against independence from the United Kingdom. Booker lists his interests as opera, art and golf. He is a friend of the Hampstead Theatre and the Royal Opera House. He also has a keen interest in cricket having been a member of the MCC for over 40 years. Niall Booker 'Niall Scott Kilgour Booker' (born September 1958) is a Scottish banker who was Chief Executive of The Co-operative Bank from May 2013 to December 2016. Previously, he spent 30 years working for HSBC,"
"Labour Party. Grogan also said LFI had received initial financial support from Yes Scotland, regarding the £245 accommodation bill for the LFI's first conference. Later in the month, the group's founder accused Better Together of running a ""dirty tricks"" campaign and ""witch hunt"" to discredit his group, the executive of which is made up entirely of card-carrying Labour members. An editorial by the International Socialist Group likened Scottish Labour's criticism of the group to ""a popular child's tantrum"" while describing Labour for Independence as ""novel, creative, and engaging [...] proponents of a new Scotland"". In September 2015 the group was"
"Westminster constituencies in Scotland (far surpassing their previous best of 11 seats in the late 1970s) and winning more than 50% of the Scottish vote. Alex Salmond resigned as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP following the country's rejection of independence in September 2014, and was succeeded in both roles by the deputy First Minister and deputy leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon. Also in the wake of the referendum, Scottish Labour leader, Johann Lamont, stood down and Jim Murphy was elected to replace her. Mr Murphy was the leader of Scottish Labour Party until the general"
"Yes Scotland Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ""Yes"" vote in the Scottish independence referendum, 2014. It was launched on 25 May 2012. Yes Scotland's chief executive was Blair Jenkins, and Dennis Canavan was the chair of its advisory board. Stephen Noon, a long term employee and policy writer of the SNP, was Yes Scotland's chief strategist. Its principal opponent in the independence campaign was the unionist Better Together campaign. By the formal start of the referendum campaign period in May 2014, it had become the ""biggest grassroots movement in Scottish political"
"their time between London and The Highlands, from where his title derives. Fraser is described by The Guardian as a ""major donor"" to the Conservative party. He was also the second largest Better Together donor, giving £200,000 to the campaign for a no vote in the Scottish independence referendum, 2014. Andrew Fraser, Baron Fraser of Corriegarth Alexander Andrew Macdonell Fraser, Baron Fraser of Corriegarth (born 2 December 1946) was a treasurer of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom and is a member of the House of Lords. He is described variously as a ""stockbroker"" or an ""investment banker"". Fraser"