SCOTLAND'S First Minister is in denial about the prospect of a vote against independence, according to the shadow foreign secretary.

Douglas Alexander, Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrew-shire South, criticised Alex Salmond after the SNP leader revealed his plan for a cross-party team to negotiate the terms of independence.

Mr Alexander is calling for the SNP and other indepen-dence campaigners to work with Labour after a No vote to "make devolution work". He did not say whether he would accept Mr Salmond's offer.

"I regard myself as part of a Scottish team at the moment with Alistair Darling, with Gordon Brown, with Margaret Curran, with Johann Lamont, the millions of us who want to stay with our friends, families and neighbours across the United Kingdom," he said.

"My leader, Johann Lamont, has made clear that Scottish Labour is here to stay. If the Yes side was to win the referendum on September 18 we would continue to seek to serve the people in the communities of Scotland.

"Look at the most recent opinion poll. There was a 20-point gap between what the First Minister is claiming and what the facts suggest, so my focus is going to be on delivering those poll results into votes in the ballot box on September 18."

On Sunday, Mr Salmond said: "The independence team will secure expertise from across the political spectrum and beyond, and from Scotland and beyond, to begin talks with Westminster before the end of this September -marking the point at which the real negotiations will begin.

"I understand that people on the other side of the political debate cannot accept that at the moment, but hope and expect that they will be fully part of the Team Scotland approach once the votes have been cast."