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A letter from Tony Blair to William Hague is contained in the files after the former Tory leader asked for the devolution vote not to happen on September 11, 1997 due to Princess Diana s death MINISTERS feared arch Unionists would try and scupper Scottish devolution by mounting a legal challenge ahead of the 1997 vote, secret papers reveal. Files obtained by The National after a two-year freedom of information battle with the Conservative Government, which opposed their release, show that the Cabinet were anxious to forestall any threats which could derail the vote and the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament. No individual or specific group is mentioned in the papers as planning a legal challenge, but the letters and documents made public for the first time show the Labour government was sufficiently concerned to set up a working group on the matter and ensuring lawyers vetted all pro-devolution publicity material.
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Tony Blair said it would be quite wrong to allow Princess Diana’s tragic death to be the cause of political controversy THE Conservative leader William Hague tried to stop the historic referendum on Scottish devolution on September 11, 1997 because of the death of Princess Diana, secret government papers reveal. Restricted files obtained by the Sunday National show that William Hague, the Tory opposition leader, wrote to prime minister Tony Blair days ahead of the landmark event calling for a delay following the car crash in Paris on August 31 which claimed the Princess’s life. Wary of accusations that his intervention could draw her death into political controversy, Hague asked Blair to not make the correspondence public.
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Alister Jack’s officials finally agreed to open parts of the secret documents after dropping a legal appeal last month THE Scotland Office sought to deny public access for more than two years to files from 1997 on the devolution referendum – on the grounds they could damage relations between Edinburgh and London amid the independence debate. Alister Jack’s officials finally agreed to open parts of the secret documents after dropping a legal appeal last month against a ruling from the information watchdog that some of the papers must be released. Contained within the papers handed to The National is a letter from Tony Blair to William Hague after the Tory opposition leader wrote to him asking for the referendum not to take place on September 11, 1997, citing Princess Diana’s death.