Highland boss quit threat over 'nightmare' Yes vote scenario

A MILLIONAIRE has warned his company could quit the Highlands – if the “doomsday” scenario of Scottish independence becomes a reality next year.

Alan Savage, the founder of the giant Orion recruitment firm, has claimed his business could be “derailed” if the Yes vote prevails in the historic referendum in a year’s time and has looked “very seriously” at where his firm would be headquartered.

The former Caley Thistle FC chairman, who donated £100,000 to the pro-union campaign Better Together earlier this year, said he opposed any form of nationalism and claimed independence would destabilise his business activities.

Orion has bases across six continents and an estimated turnover of more than £395m for the next year.

Speaking in an interview given to the Scottish Provincial Press Big Debate: One Year to Go publication – which comes free with today’s Ross-shire Journal – Mr Savage said its business relied on the UK’s stability and warned there was uncertainty about the future.

“The uncertainties would be a nightmare - my business could be derailed in months and I have had to look very seriously at where we would need to be headquartered in the doomsday scenario,” he said.

“We benefit hugely from the tens of thousands of trade agreements, reciprocal tax agreements, the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and Foreign Office network and centuries of stability and certainty. We have hundreds of people working in England and Northern Ireland. The uncertainty that the referendum is bringing with it is bad for business confidence and the essence of business is confidence - to speculate and invest to achieve it.”

Mr Savage established the Orion Group in the late 1980s. It supplied more than 4,000 workers worldwide last year.

It provides contract and permanent personnel to several industries like engineering, oil and gas, renewables, mining, aerospace and rail.

“I’m against any form of nationalism - there are glaring examples in recent history of the damage that this ideal can deliver to the detriment of society, let alone mankind,” said Mr Savage, who added that he had donated a slice of his personal fortune to Better Together because he was alarmed at the amount of “propaganda” funding the independence movement had attracted.

Yes Scotland said similar claims were made by people opposed to devolution back in 1997.

“We don’t think a single person who said they could or would leave Scotland in the event of a Yes actually did leave Scotland or actually did move their business.

“Mr Savage is clearly passionate in his views but, as we know, the No campaign describe themselves as ‘Project Fear’ and, unfortunately, this is the sort of tactic that has been used by those looking to stop Scotland’s progress for decades.

“If people vote Yes next year, we will have the ability to make Scotland’s great wealth and vast resources work better for the people living here. That means we will be able to do more to raise standards of living for people in Scotland and improve our competitiveness, which will be good news for Scotland’s economy and businesses.”

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