Scottish independence: Cameron and Salmond pave way for 2014 referendum

David Cameron and Alex Salmond will sign an agreement in Edinburgh on Monday that will pave the way for a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, the Scotland secretary, Michael Moore, has announced.

The agreement will allow the people of Scotland to make the "most important political decision in 300 years", Moore told the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1.

London and Edinburgh have both made concessions to allow Westminster to give the Scottish parliament the power to hold a referendum until the end of 2014, the Guardian reported.

Salmond has accepted there will be only one question on the ballot paper – whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom or not. The Scottish first minister had hoped to have a second question asking voters whether they support "devo max" – a form of enhanced devolution that stops short of independence. But he abandoned this after failing to win support in civic Scotland.

But Cameron has given ground by allowing Salmond to hold the referendum in 2014, the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, and to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote.

Moore said: "The challenge that has been placed to both governments in the last few months is to ensure we get a referendum which is legal, that is fair and is decisive and is made in Scotland. I think when people see the details of what we announce tomorrow they will see we have achieved that."