Australian PM Tony Abbott warns against voting for an independent Scotland

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned against voting yes at next month's Scottish independence referendum.

 

In an interview with The Times, he said that a split between Scotland and the rest of the UK would be a “victory for the enemies of freedom of justice”, and that is was “hard to see how the world would benefit from an independent Scotland”. 

 

“I think that the people who would like to see the break-up of the United Kingdom are not the friends of justice, the friends of freedom, and the countries that would cheer at the prospect . . . are not the countries whose company one would like to keep.”

 

Although he did not specify the countries he was referring to, his remarks were the most outspoken of any foreign leader to date on the subject of Scottish independence. 

 

US president Obama and Chinese premier Li Keqiang have already expressed support of a continued unification in favour of independence. 

 

Last month, Obama said “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, in reference to the fact that staying together was in the interest of both Scotland and the rest of the UK.