Ministers considered holding indyref on same day as 2011 election, papers reveal

Scottish ministers considered holding a referendum on the same date as the Holyrood election in 2011, newly released papers have revealed.

In 2010, the minority SNP administration led by Alex Salmond published a draft Referendum Bill.

Ministers proposed to spend £9.5 million on a multi-option referendum, which would see Scots asked if they backed increased powers for Holyrood – and then if these powers should be extended to “allow independence to be achieved”.

At the time the plans were announced, in February 2010, Mr Salmond insisted they would give Scots a “vital say on the country’s future”.

Ministers went on to launch a consultation on their Referendum Bill plans, but opposition from other parties at Holyrood meant the legislation was never formally introduced.

In May 2011, the SNP won an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament – with this success leading directly to the independence referendum of 2014.

However, newly released cabinet papers from 2010 reveal ministers had considered holding their multi-option referendum on the same say as the 2011 Scottish election.

Papers, released from 15 years ago, indicate the vote could be held in March 2011 or “on the same day as the Scottish Parliament election on May 5 2011”.

The document also reveals there had been “no engagement with the UK government on our proposals” from the Scottish government.

But Scottish government officials at the time had had “regular discussions” with the Electoral Commission “about the detail of holding a referendum”, the paper said.

Holding a referendum on the same day as the 2011 Scottish Parliament vote “could lead to potentially significant cost savings as the apparatus for holding a national poll has to be in place for that day anyway”, it noted.

Concerns, however, were raised that those responsible for running the 2011 election would be “taken by surprise” if a referendum was proposed for the same date and “their likely initial reaction would be extremely negative, probably to the extent of publicly criticising this approach”.

When members of the Scottish cabinet discussed the matter, in January 2010, they therefore agreed the draft Bill should “not at this stage set out the date for the referendum”.

The paper, produced by then parliamentary business minister Bruce Crawford, also noted the Scottish government’s proposed referendum would be an advisory vote and would have “no legislative effect”.

The document stated the proposed ballot would “in effect, be a consultation with the people of Scotland”.

But it added: “The Scottish government’s expectation is that the UK government and Parliament would listen to the views of the people and act on them as they have done in all other referendums held in the UK.”

Although the Scottish government did not proceed with holding a multi-option referendum, the Holyrood election in 2011 took place on the same day as the UK Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government held a referendum on a possible switch to proportional representation for Westminster elections.

Voters rejected the option of moving to the alternative vote system.