SNP's bid to ban Labour leaflet fails

The Scottish National Party failed in a legal bid to ban a Labour leaflet purporting to be a bill for the cost of independence.

The SNP went to the Court of Session last night seeking an interim interdict to block the leaflet. They claimed the use of the SNP logo amounted to a breach of the party’s trademark.

But in a two and a half hour hearing, which ended at 10.30pm, Lord Brodie threw out the Nationalists’ case.

The leaflet shows a mock bill, complete with an SNP logo, for the "break up of one United Kingdom".

Labour claimed 50,000 copies of the leaflet had been circulated across Scotland, but they had stopped using it two weeks ago. They also insisted the other side of the leaflet made it clear it was a Labour piece of literature.

A Labour spokesman said: "This shows how much of a panic the SNP are in that they tried to use the law to stop us telling the truth about the massive cost of their risky and expensive divorce."

Lord Brodie dismissed the Nationalists’ plea, for a ban, saying he was not persuaded the logo was being used in trade or that people receiving the leaflet would believe it came from the SNP.

However, the Nationalists defended their decision to take the case to court, and said they would do it again.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats are set to demand a bigger share of power in a renewed coalition with Labour after tomorrow’s elections.

Lib Dem leader Jim Wallace was today said to be preparing to demand a beefed-up role for himself as Deputy First Minister as part of a "total recalibration of the coalition".

It is understood the proposal includes a roving brief for Mr Wallace, giving him the ability to influence policy in all Scottish Executive departments, and even his own Deputy First Minister’s Question Time.

A Lib Dem spokesman today played down the speculation, saying an agreed policy programme was more important than the posts in the government.

Meanwhile, Mr Wallace was ending his election campaign with a "final flourish" helicopter tour of Scotland, including a touchdown in Penicuik.

Fears of a low turn-out were fuelled today as the prospect of a wet polling day was added to voter apathy. Weather forecasters say tomorrow will be cloudy and cool, with patchy rain.

The Tories today branded the Lib Dems "political mercenaries" and accused them or recycling pledges from their election campaign four years ago.

They highlighted a series of pledges - including free eye and dental checks, recruiting extra teachers and support for the Borders rail link - which had appeared in the 1999 election manifesto and also appear in the current manifesto.

Scots Tory leader David McLetchie claimed the Lib Dems had made "no difference" to the governance of Scotland.

Elsewhere, the Scottish Green Party claimed it was poised for an electoral breakthrough as polls yesterday showed them winning up to six seats.

And anger among Edinburgh’s Muslim community over the war in Iraq surfaced at a hustings meeting in the Central Mosque at Potterrow last night.

The Evening News revealed last week how the Lothian Muslim Voting Committee is urging Muslims to vote tactically to oust Labour MSPs in protest at the war. Their recommendation includes a vote for the Scottish Socialists on the list.

SSP leader Tommy Sheridan was given a rousing reception when he told the meeting the British people had been "cruelly conned" into supporting the invasion of Iraq. But city councillor Alan Tweedie, representing Labour, was given a hard time when he argued tackling racism in Scotland was a more important issue for the elections than Iraq.

Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith today predicted his party would win the next General Election, insisting: "I am not bullshitting."

On the eve of UK local elections, which some commentators predict could spell the end of his leadership, Mr Duncan Smith said he was "upbeat" about the Tories’ prospects and is determined to take the party into the next election and win it.