First Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of “being in denial” over his plan for an independent Scotland sharing the pound with the rest of the UK.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said he was the only one who refused to accept there would be no currency union in the event of a “yes” vote.
She told Mr Salmond that Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, Treasury Permanent Secretary Sir Nicholas Macpherson, Chancellor George Osborne, and Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls had all rejected the idea, as had the Institute of Directors, CBI, his “own independence allies” and the “majority of the people in the rest of the UK”.
“The first minister might be in denial, but the rest of the country has woken up to the truth,” she said.
“Is this not the week that we have found out that the emperor has no clothes?”
She added the Union already provided the currency, political and social union that Mr Salmond “so desperately wants to keep”.
Mr Salmond said the fiscal commission the government relied on for advice contained two Nobel Prize winners, Jim Mirrlees and Joe Stiglitz, as well as other eminent economists.
The issue was taken up by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who pointed out that even the fiscal commission thought that a separate currency was a possibility.
“The first minister is the last man standing, refusing to concede,” he said.
Mr Rennie said Mr Salmond was betting that Mr Osborne, a man he derided every day, would change his mind and agree to a currency union. The first minister is gambling that Mr Osborne will transform from being his belligerent barbarian to being his pacifist puppy, arch enemy to best buddy,” he said.
He called for a clear statement to parliament that a Scottish currency is now an option.
“Despite all the opinion, including on his side, he can’t even say that it might be a possibility, and he can’t hide on that until September,” Mr Rennie said.
Mr Salmond repeated that the currency union was the best option, again warning that Scotland would be entitled to walk away from UK debt if its proposal was denied.
“The fiscal commission working group set out a range of options for the currency of an independent Scotland.
“They said these options were viable given the strengths of the Scottish economy,” Mr Salmond said.
“They recommended the best option for Scotland and the rest of the UK was the currency union. We believe it will be negotiated.”