I'll fight to save Union from SNP, says Brown

Published on Saturday 29 December 2007 19:06

GORDON Brown will this week issue a defiant pledge to use 2008 to "stand up" for the United Kingdom, in a sign he intends to hit back against the SNP following a disastrous year for Labour.

The Prime Minister is to use his New Year message to single out the worth of the Union, declaring he will make the case for a British state in the coming months.

Brown says he will spend the next 12 months persuading the public that there is no such thing as a "Scotland-only" solution to the nation's problems.

His messages come as relations between Edinburgh and London have plunged to a new low, with SNP ministers complaining that Westminster is ignoring their plans and Labour accusing the Nationalists of political point-scoring.

Brown has said previously that he would work with Salmond "in the best interests of Scotland" but it appears he now wants to take a tougher line.

In his message, Brown declares: "In 2008, with firm conviction and resolve, we will make the case for the United Kingdom – standing up for the cause of the Union and against secession, showing people in all parts of the country that for so many of the challenges our country faces – from climate change to terrorism – there are no Wales-only, Scotland-only or England-only solutions."

Brown said his policies reflected "our shared vision of a new Britain rooted in enduring traditions and values". He wanted to build a country "proud of its progress towards equality and confident of its future," he said.

The message sets the scene for a major battle of wills, as the SNP Government seeks to further its case for Scottish independence, in the teeth of bitter opposition from the Unionist parties.

Polling evidence released by the Nationalists this weekend suggests that the SNP could beat Labour in Scotland at a Westminster election as well.

An SNP source said: "The success of the Scottish Government as we approach the New Year is demonstrated by the fact that we are now even ahead of Labour for a UK general election, which is a hugely significant development."

In his own New Year message last night, Conservative leader David Cameron said that he would use 2008 to set out "a clear and credible alternative to this hopeless and incompetent Labour government".

"I sense that Britain feels it's time for a change," he said.

"There probably won't be a General Election this year but we will behave and work as though there is and in doing so prove that you can once again trust a Conservative government to take this country forward."