THE UK Government last night gave the green light to a referendum on Scottish independence, conceding alex Salmond has  the majority and the authority  to ask whether to break up Britain.  Michael Moore, the Liberal Democrat Scottish Secretary, said the Westminster Coalition would not put up any obstacles to a referendum, or try to stage a rival referendum on its own terms in the hope of securing a No vote.  He also said he believed a Salmond-led referendum would be legally competent in spite of some Unionist politicians questioning its validity, adding that the UK Government would not put up legal or constitutional hurdles to it.  The hands-off approach clears the way for Salmond to hold a referendum with a question of his choosing, when he chooses, using his overall majority to pass the legislation at Holyrood.  The First Minister has said the vote would be in the second half of the five-year Parliament, but delay could allow a No campaign to build up a head of steam and ruin his chance of success.  Years of public sector cuts could also deflate the feel-good factor around the SNP in the wake of its historic election win on Thursday.  Westminster s insistence that everything now rests with the First Minister allows a No campaign to mobilise, and means the pressure is now on Salmond to deliver a Yes vote or suffer a backlash from his own party.  Following the election,  Lord Forsyth, the former Conservative Scottish Secretary, called for the Scotland Bill currently at Westminster to be amended to include a referendum in order to take control of the question and the timing of a poll away from Salmond.  However, after discussions with Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, Moore said the ball was entirely in Salmond s court.  The First Minister has made clear his intention to proceed with [the referendum],  he said.  He has the majority and the authority to proceed on that basis. It s for him to determine when he wishes to do it, and what order of priority he gives to it. as a UK government we will not be putting obstacles in the way of any referendum.  However, Moore added that he personally saw an independence referendum as a two-stage process, with an initial ballot leading to negotiations between Edinburgh and London, then a second vote on whether to ratify the product of those talks.  asked if he thought a referendum led by Holyrood would be legal given the Scotland act reserves constitutional issues to Westminster, Moore said:  It entirely depends on how this is structured. We will not stand in the way of this happening.  How it s structured will need to comply with the law to avoid challenge, but I think we ll all understand what it is we re being asked to vote on.  He added that as a LibDem and supporter of the union, he would campaign for a No vote.  and he said Cameron and Salmond would hold further talks on the issue, saying: We ll work through the detail with the First Minister should he bring forward that proposal.  Salmond said Moore and Cameron were showing a  very sensible attitude  to the referendum. On Lord Forsyth s proposal to amend the Scotland Bill, he added: Lord Forsyth s days are over  I think the debate should be among those people who ve been elected as opposed to others.  Deputy First Minister Nicola  Sturgeon said the economy and jobs would be at the heart of a Yes campaign.  She said:  Independence is not an abstract process. It s about our ability as a country to grow our econo