Former prime minister Gordon Brown’s blueprint for the future of the UK will provide a "safer" and "more radical" alternative to Scottish independence.
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray will tell delegates at the continuing Labour Party conference in Liverpool the document is almost complete and will be launched "in the coming months".
The Commission on the Future of the UK was set up to ensure “it works for every part of the country,” the shadow minister will say.
Mr Murray will make the comments while stressing politics in Scotland "can't keep being about the false binary choice of separation versus the status quo".
"It will not just try to convince Scotland to stay, but to make Britain such a good place to be that everyone, in all corners of our country, will want to be part of it," he will say.
"And in doing so, it will set out both a safer and more radical offer for change than the risk of independence ― the chance for a fairer, more secure, more respected Scotland within a reformed and modern United Kingdom."
The Scottish National Party wants to call a second Scottish independence referendum in 2023. However, the UK government says the question has been settled for a generation, arguing that it alone has the power to sanction such a vote.
A previous vote on independence in 2014 resulted in 2,001,926 voting against it and 1,617,989 voting in favour.
But eight years on, there are now ominous signs for the future of the union.
A poll carried on behalf of The National revealed fewer than one in three Britons believe Scotland will still be part of the UK by 2050.
The finding, released on Monday, showed even the patriotic fervour of the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II did not convince Britain that its destiny is to stay together.
Asked about Scotland, only 31 per cent said it would still be part of the union by mid-century, while 48 per cent said it would not.
In other findings, the state-of-the-nation survey by Deltapoll for The National also revealed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for Brexit. This comes more than two years after the UK left the EU, a move that changed the dynamics of the Scottish independence debate.
A narrow majority of Britons saw Brexit as a bad thing and 46 per cent said it had gone worse than they expected. This compared with only 19 per cent, who were pleasantly surprised.
Reports have suggested Labour’s Commission on the Future of the UK may also include the abolition of the Lords, something the opposition party has previously raised. The SNP has called it "Broon's Brigadoon", claiming it was a plan that "magically emerges from the mists, before vanishing as quickly as it appeared".
"Labour has been promising to abolish the Lords for the past 112 years but, despite having been in government six times since for a total of 33 years, it has never come close to honouring that promise," SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said.
"There are Disney films more believable than Broon's Brigadoon."
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
