British Prime Minister David Cameron said Scotland should hold an independence referendum as early as next year, clashing with the Scottish National Party (SNP) which wants more time to rally support for a break from the United Kingdom. Cameron, who opposes Scottish independence, said uncertainty about the 300-year-old union between England and its smaller northern neighbour was creating problems for business and harming investment.
"If (SNP leader) Alex Salmond wants a referendum on independence, why do we wait until 2014?" Cameron told Sky News. "This is very damaging for Scotland because all the time business is asking: 'is Scotland going to be part of the United Kingdom? Are they going to stay together? Should I invest?'"
Scotland, which kept its own legal system after the 1707 union, has had a devolved government since 1999, with control over health, education and prisons in the nation of five million. The SNP won an overall majority in Scottish elections last May and has promised to hold a referendum in the second half of a parliamentary term lasting until 2016.
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