Cameron, Clegg and Miliband finally do something drastic

The dawning realisation that Scotland could actually vote for independence next Thursday has finally galvanised the main party leaders into doing something drastic - pulling out of prime minister's questions.

In a joint statement David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband said they would be in Scotland, not Westminster, to campaign for a 'no' vote.

PMQs will still go ahead, with William Hague set to represent the prime minister and Harriet Harman the leader of the opposition.

Dr Ruth Fox, the director and head of research at the Hansard Society, told i100 it was unprecedented for all three party leaders not to attend PMQs.

"I can't think of a similar precedent in these circumstances, although there are certainly examples when if the prime minister is abroad, often the leader of the opposition will not attend and their deputies will stand in," she said.

There is a lot that divides us - but there's one thing on which we agree passionately: the United Kingdom is better together.

That's why all of us are agreed the right place for us to be tomorrow is in Scotland, not at Prime Minister's Questions in Westminster.

We want to be listening and talking to voters about the huge choices they face.

Our message to the Scottish people will be simple: 'We want you to stay.'

• David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg.

If you think the cancellation of a big event in the Westminster bubble that has dubious levels of impact upon the rest of the UK is a futile gesture, compared to what else the leaders have been suggesting this week, it's actually a fairly big deal.

Prime minister's questions is rarely cancelled altogether. It was last called off so MPs could attend the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, and before that in 2009 following the death of Mr Cameron's son Ivan.

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