AS a supporter of our UK, I am delighted that Scotland said No Thanks.

But now that the ballots have been counted, the time has come for the country to come back together again.

I understand that many will have been bitterly disappointed by the result, that they will have hoped and prayed for a different outcome, but when the dust settled on Friday morning, the result was decisive and the sovereign will of the people of Scotland was clear.

This was an internationally observed vote, overseen by a rigorous counting officer and her team and backed up by the Scottish police force.

This was a free, fair and decisive ballot.

On Sunday, I, alongside politicians from both sides of the constitutional debate, attended a service of reconciliation at St Giles Cathedral.

The message of the moderator of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev John Chalmers, was powerful: "The eyes of the world are on us and it needs to see us conduct ourselves with responsibility, with dignity and with maturity".

I couldn't agree more.

It's absolutely crucial that the referendum result is respected and that the whole of Scotland comes together to work to secure the best settlement for our country.

The challenge now is to harness the tremendous vitality of the campaign, not to mention its immense energy, and to forge a new Union which reflects the wishes of the people.

Make no mistake about it, further devolution will happen.

And the process is already underway.

Already a motion has been published setting out the timetable for delivery, the chair of the new devolution commission has been named as Lord Smith of Kelvin, and yesterday he met with party leaders in Holyrood.

On October 31 - just five weeks after the referendum - a Command Paper will be published setting out the plans for more powers.

After that, there will rightly be a period of consultation when the people of Scotland can have their say about the proposals before them.

And then, on St Andrew's Day, the final plans will be published with a new draft Scotland Bill appearing at the start of next year.

This means that, no matter which party wins the next general election, the legislation is ready to go.

Real change, which will further strengthen devolution and will boost the powers of the Scottish Parliament, is what has been pledged and this is what will be delivered.

I LOOK forward to working with colleagues from all sides of the political debate to make this happen.

The referendum was the biggest, broadest conversation that Scotland has ever seen. Millions of votes were cast.

The ballots have been counted and the result declared.

It must be respected.

A new chapter now begins. It's time to come together and get to work so that further devolution becomes a reality.