WEST Dorset MP Oliver Letwin has hailed Scotland’s rejection of independence as a ‘momentous day’.

Speaking at a meeting of the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce this morning, the politician welcomed the ‘no’ vote in yesterday’s referendum.

Mr Letwin told the county town’s business representatives: “It is a rather momentous day, thank goodness it’s a rather less momentous day than it could have been had it gone the other way.

“It was by no means a foregone conclusion and the degree of enthusiasm for taking part in this process in Scotland was enormously high.

“Our fellow citizens in Scotland made a pretty decisive decision one way to stay in the union and I think that has put the issue to bed.

“It puts it to bed for a generation.”

Mr Letwin compared the prospect of a ‘yes’ vote to ‘staring into the abyss’ and added that the decision could have had damaging consequences for the whole of the United Kingdom.

He said: “It would have had a very significant impact on the rest of the UK for a very long time to come.”

Mr Letwin said the decision gave an opportunity for the government to look at the constitution to find a system that would suit all countries in the union.

He added that once this issue was resolved attention could then turn to tackling the ‘day to day’ issues such as the economy.