Last-minute intervention: Obama against free Scotland

Mail Online:President Barack Obama tonight made it clear that he wanted the UK to remain ‘strong, robust and united’, in a dramatic intervention just 24 hours before the referendum. In a statement posted on Twitter, the leader of the United States called the UK ‘an extraordinary partner for America’ and ‘a force of good in an unstable world’.The message, posted by the White House official Twitter account, was signed ‘bo’ – Barack Obama’s initials – which means that the message was worded by the President himself. His comments come after Bill Clinton told Scots to reassure ‘a world torn by identity conflicts’ by voting No in an 11th-hour intervention in the independence debate. The former US president said he was reluctant to express his view before now because he appreciated the decision was ‘Scots alone to make’.But he said uncertainty over currency and the impact of ‘long, complex’ negotiations had convinced him to urge the people of Scotland to keep the Union.His views were published in a statement released today by the Better Together campaign. President Obama’s statement reiterates one he made earlier this week, when he urged Scottish voters not to break apart ‘one of the closest allies we’ll ever have’ by voting for independence on Thursday. The dramatic intervention, just three days before Scotland goes to the polls, would have infuriated Alex Salmond – with the battle for independence set to be decided by the smallest of margins. Up to half a million voters remain undecided – with concerns over the future of Scotland’s place in major international organisations like the EU, Nato and the UN still hotly debated.