THE SNP have severely criticised a senior Labour peer who said a yes vote in September's referendum would not automatically lead to independence as an agreement would still have to be negotiated.

Referendum Bill Committee member Linda Fabiani hit back strongly at comments made by Baroness Jay, who chairs the House of Lords Constitution Committee.

Baroness Jay, daughter of former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, said: "You can't just start unpicking the constitutional arrangements. There would have to be paving legislation at Westminster first, then there's the question of who would carry out the negotiations.

"These issues raise the idea that just because Scotland voted for independence in the referendum, it wouldn't automatically happen."

The comments echoed those made by a senior Coalition member last week in The Herald who said the status quo would remain until an agreement was reached and if Scotland made unreasonable demands then it may never happen.

Ms Fabiani said: "This is an astonishing and irresponsible intervention by an unelected Labour peer.

"The Westminster establishment are now so worried about losing the referendum that they are threatening to refuse to respect the democratic will of the people of Scotland, and rip up the Edinburgh Agreement - signed in all good faith by the First Minister with the Prime Minister.

"The fact of the matter is that a Yes vote will result in an independent Scotland, with the powers to build a fairer society and more prosperous economy.

"Unelected peers may have trouble understanding basic democracy, but the days of Westminster politicians dictating to Scotland are over, and their attempts to do so are creating a strong public backlash."

Ms Fabiani, who is an MSP for East Kilbride, insisted: "If people at Westminster were trying to drive people towards voting Yes, they could not be doing a better job than the sabre rattling nonsense that has emerged from the anti-independence camp over the past few days."

The Edinburgh Agreement spoke of "a result everyone will respect" and stated: "The two governments are committed to continue to work together constructively in the light of the outcome, whatever it is, in the best interests of the people of Scotland and of the rest of the United Kingdom."

Nationalists argued that the way the Chancellor ruled out any possibility of a currency union last week breached that agreement.