Episode description

A decade ago, the Scottish people went to the polls for a referendum vote to make a choice: should the country break free of the United Kingdom? Ultimately, they voted to stay by a resounding margin – crushing the hopes of the Scottish National Party and soothing the fears of the British government of the day. But the issue of Independence continues to divide, and in this special miniseries, George Osborne and Ed Balls are joined by the former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon to take a fresh, forensic look at the forces, decisions and party politics that drove the independence movement. 

In this first of three episodes, Nicola, Ed and George walk through the key moments leading up to David Cameron’s decision to grant Holyrood the referendum vote. What was the focus of the conversations in Downing Street? George explains why he wanted to call the nationalists’ bluff and catch them off guard. And what advice did Gordon Brown provide – that Nicola says was ignored – to keep the United Kingdom intact?

Parts 2 and 3 of 'Inside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum' are available to listen to NOW for subscribers to Political Currency Gold.

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Producers: Rosie Stopher and John Rogers

Technical Producer: Oliver Geraghty

Production Support: Miriam Hall

Executive Producers: Ellie Clifford and Dino Sofos

Archive: BBC News, EuroNews and Sky News.

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