THE Better Together campaign has been rebuked by the Fraser of Allander Institute for attempting to co-opt the Strathclyde University body to the anti-independence cause.

Better Together boasted on its website that the Fraser of Allander Institute, part of Strathclyde University Business School, was critical about Scotland's finances, based on a contribution by Labour adviser Professor Arthur Midwinter. But the institute protested it had been wrongly co-opted to the cause and it valued its political independence.

Cliff Lockyer, managing editor at the institute, said: "We had problems with how the Better Together campaign were citing this and told them to change this. Articles reflect opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the institute."

A spokesman for Better Together said they had responded to a request from the Fraser of Allander Institute to clarify the website claims.