A TORY Peer has described the prospect of Scottish independence as “appalling”.

Speaking during the the Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament, Lord Heseltine – a former deputy prime minister – likened the arguments for leaving the UK to those for leaving the EU.

He said independence would result in Whitehall being “substituted” by Edinburgh, arguing that greater autonomy should be given to cities such as Glasgow and Dundee.

“I am appalled by the prospect of the fracturing of the United Kingdom,” he said. “If I had one question I would ask about independence – is this really substituting Edinburgh for Whitehall, and substituting Edinburgh for Whitehall, with the centralism moved a few hundred miles north, will that really change anything very much in Scotland?”