Scottish vote a victory for ‘common sense’

He also called for a UK wide debate on devolution and for an immediate decision from the Prime Minister on devolving corporation tax powers to Northern Ireland.

“This is a victory for common sense. Congratulations to all the Scottish voters, whether they voted yes or no, on their ability to get to where they are today without one bullet being fired or the creation of one innocent victim. Unfortunately that was not our experience in Northern Ireland.

“The United Kingdom is not a neat homogenous unit, but a complex mix of people who can live side by side in this great nation. To think in terms of Orange and Green all the time is binary and does not reflect the support for the Union in Northern Ireland.

“Yesterday`s vote proves that the Union is durable and creates an opportunity to fashion it for the 21st century. So far devolution has happened on a piecemeal basis. “We now need to have a UK wide debate on where devolution goes from here. This is a great opportunity to achieve a lasting settlement and address the asymmetrical devolution currently in place.

“The Independence debate has already yielded big gains for Scotland – not least the commitment from all three main parties at Westminster to keep the Barnett Formula that affords relatively generous financial settlements for Scotland and Northern Ireland. That is where I want the debate to go today, to discussing how we recalibrate the Union to the best effect for all the people of the UK.

“Yesterday`s vote has opened the door for the Prime Minister to immediately devolve corporation tax powers to Northern Ireland. The Ulster Unionist Party started this campaign and now it`s time for the Prime Minister to deliver. We need to strengthen the private sector so that Northern Ireland becomes gradually less reliant on the block grant. We need to explore what other levers may be available so that business has the tools to expand and grow.

“Let`s grasp this opportunity to build a better United Kingdom for all its people.”