Alex Salmond came in for a barrage of criticism as he dismissed news that five banks plan to move their registered offices to England in the event of a Yes vote next week.
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds Banking Group – which includes Halifax, Scottish Widows and Bank of Scotland – Tesco Bank, TSB and Clydesdale Bank all said the risks and uncertainties around separation were behind their decisions.
The first minister refused to acknowledge the economic significance of the announcements, insisting it only meant “moving brass plaques” and jobs were safe.
Instead he attempted to deflect attention by demanding an inquiry into how the BBC got advance notice of yesterday’s RBS statement.
Mr Salmond alleged a briefing by a Treasury source amounted to the leaking of “market-sensitive information”.
“RBS share price changed overnight. This is a matter of extraordinary gravity,” he said.
He added that the No campaign has been “caught red-handed as being part of a campaign of scaremongering”.
A Treasury source dismissed the first minister’s claim as a “desperate distraction tactic” and said it had merely responded to inquiries from journalists.
RBS said there were a number of “material uncertainties” surrounding the referendum which could have a bearing on the bank’s credit ratings, and the fiscal, monetary, legal and regulatory landscape.
Clydesdale Bank said its contingency plans included reregistering as an English company in order to mitigate risks and provide increased certainty for customers.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said it was “almost comic” the way Mr Salmond repeatedly dismissed claims by leading figures in business and finance about their plans in the event of separation.
“You can’t constantly shout people down when very authoritative bodies say ‘this is going to be bad for prices and shops, for jobs in Scotland’. You can’t keep saying ‘oh, they are just talking nonsense’,” he said.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: “Alex Salmond’s bombastic attempt to dismiss these announcements are extraordinary from a responsible politician.”
Keith Cochrane, chief executive of the Weir Group, said: “Companies do not make these announcements lightly. These are the very real risks businesses now have to address and they have the potential to have serious impacts on Scotland’s economy and the prosperity of her people.”