DERBYSHIRE MPs have dismissed claims by the Scottish campaign for independence that increased powers being offered to Scotland are a last-minute grasp for votes.
The Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour have all promised further devolution in the event of a 'no' vote in Thursday's referendum.
Scottish Labour's devolution commission has backed increased powers to vary tax and give Holyrood control over some elements of welfare and benefits policy.
The Conservatives have said Scotland should be given full control over income tax.
And the Liberal Democrats have said the Scottish Parliament should be able to raise and spend most of its own taxes and borrow on its own terms.
Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the Yes Scotland campaign, has said they are "empty promises" that have only arisen because the No campaign is "losing the argument".
But Derbyshire MPs have dismissed this as nonsense, saying that more powers for Holyrood have been in the pipeline for years.
Derby North Labour MP Chris Williamson said: "Extra powers have been talked about for nearly as long as I've been in Parliament [since 2010].
"I think it's come into sharper relief now, and now is the time to be talking about it, but it's not new."
South Derbyshire Tory MP Heather Wheeler said the plans for devolution had not come out earlier because they took time to consider.
She said: "We don't do knee-jerk Government."
Mrs Wheeler added that she was keen to ensure that, in the event of more devolved powers, Scottish MPs did not have it both ways and continue to have a say on English affairs.
Derby South Labour MP Dame Margaret Beckett said she was concerned that plans from the Scottish National Party to cut corporation tax could spark "a race to the bottom". The SNP says the move would help attract companies to Scotland and boost productivity.
But there are fears that this may prompt Westminster to try to match the reduction, leaving it needing to raise the cash from somewhere else.
Dame Margaret said: "The less money that we raise from companies the more we would have to raise from other sources and the more we may have to cut.
"Across the world there's a general move towards getting major companies to pay their fair share of tax.
"This doesn't seem to fit with that," added Dame Margaret.
The latest poll of polls collating the six most recent surveys – carried out between September 9 and September 12 and excluding "don't knows'' – puts the No campaign on 51% and the Yes campaign on 49%.