ALEX Salmond has warned Labour it will pay a high price for aligning itself with the Tories in the anti-independence campaign, claiming: "They will suck you in and spit you out."

He was speaking in a Holyrood debate that saw the SNP vote down a Labour motion on referendum plans in favour of an amendment in the First Minister's name backing all his proposals for the autumn 2014 poll, including votes for 16-year-olds and a new oversight body answerable to Holyrood.

The motion by Labour's Scottish leader Johann Lamont, which was backed by the Tories and Liberal Democrats, called for "immediate cross-party talks" but also sought to tie the Government down to a single question poll run by the Electoral Commission.

Tory leader Ruth Davidson said later: "This was not the Scottish Parliament speaking but the SNP. They of course have a majority but they do not speak for the whole of Scotland."

The issue dominated First Minister's Questions and a good day for Alex Salmond was marred only by a concerted attack by the other parties on his parliamentary aide, the Scotland South MSP Joan McAlpine, for her claim that the behaviour of the pro-Union parties since last weekend had been "anti-Scottish".

The comment in a tweet two days ago prompted criticism in the chamber. She stressed she had referred to political parties, not people, and she "made no apology" for it. There were calls for her to be sacked as Mr Salmond's Parliamentary Liaison Officer, the link between the First Minister and his backbenchers.

In the debate Ms Lamont said it was her patriotic belief that Scotland's best interests were served by being in the UK.

She added: "Why the delay when he has an unprecedented majority? Why the need for another thousand days? It makes no sense to those of us who understand how to deliver constitutional change, and I can't imagine it makes much sense to his own backbenchers either.

"What is he frightened of? When it comes to constitutional change, where Donald Dewar delivers, Salmond dithers.

"He can get any legislation he likes past this Parliament. He has a mandate, he has a majority, surely it cannot be he does not have the courage to face the verdict of the Scottish people?"

Mr Salmond responded: "Those of us who have memories of Westminster-organised referendums will look askance at Johann Lamont's idea that somehow this Parliament, this country, can't organise a fair and proper referendum."

Following the show of unity between David Cameron and Ed Miliband pledging to join forces to fight independence, Mr Salmond warned Labour they would pay a high price for this with the Scottish voters.

Mr Salmond said: "Let me warn the Labour Party if they go in with the Tories they'll suck you in and they'll spit you out as they've done to the Liberal Democrats."

The First Minister promised: "A referendum organised in Scotland, built in Scotland, for the Scottish people, discussed with civic Scotland and then brought to the people in 2014 for a historic decision on the future of this nation."

Ms Davidson said: "Every opinion poll ever published shows that the people of Scotland agree with me – Scotland is better off in Britain."

Concerning the outcome of the referendum, she added: "History is in the making, although I fear for the First Minister it is not the history he is hoping for."

To derision from SNP benches she described the offer from the Coalition to temporarily extend Holyrood's powers to allow it to carry out a legally binding vote on Scotland's constitutional future as a "reasonable and constructive offer".

Responding to Ms Davidson at FMQ's, Mr Salmond denied he was impugning members of the Electoral Commission by seeking a body answerable to Holyrood to run the referendum.

He added: "I would ask Ruth Davidson to wait until the consultation paper comes out and then if she is dissatisfied with what that consultation paper says, then the representations that she, like the Labour Party, is able to make to the Government, will be given a full and frank hearing."