By Steve Bargeton, political editor

TORY LEADER David Cameron yesterday attacked Labour and the SNP for fighting the Holyrood election campaign on constitutional issues.

He accused Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown of trying to bully Scots into staying in the union.

Commenting on Labour’s campaign during a visit to Edinburgh, he said, “I also think they are making a mistake in some of the bone-chilling language they are using.

“The Scots are a proud people. They don’t want to be bullied into staying in the union. They want to be inspired that the union works.

“I sometimes think watching the Prime Minister in the House of Commons and listening to Brown—I sometimes think they are just trying to frighten people and I think that is wrong. I think they should try and inspire people.”

He described the debate on independence as “arcane” and said voters are more interested in “bread and butter issues.”

“They aren’t talking about the bread and butter issues because there has been a shortage of bread and a shortage of butter and they have got so many weaknesses on those issues,” he said.

Mr Cameron is against a referendum and will campaign for a no vote if there is one.

However, if he becomes Prime Minister he will accept a decision for independence if that is the decision of the Scottish people.

Labour’s Holyrood campaign chairwoman Cathy Jamieson said the party is determined to build Scotland, not break up Britain.

“David Cameron has made a number of visits to Scotland recently, and every time we have heard warm words and empty rhetoric,” she said.

“What a contrast to Labour who are today celebrating a year since the historic smoking ban, which is already making a difference to the health and environment of people across Scotland.

“The Tories need to recognise that their ‘policy-lite’ campaign could allow Scotland to sleep-walk into an expensive separation of Scotland from the rest of the UK, a separation that would cost Scottish families over £5000 more with the SNP.”

SNP campaign director Angus Robertson described the Tories and Labour as “two sides of the same London coin,” and claimed Labour has taken its scaremongering campaign from Conservative tactics in the devolution referendum in 1997.

“Gordon Brown and Jack McConnell should take note—in adopting the Tories’ language and rejecting the consensus for Scotland to move forward, Labour will suffer a similar fate.

“As two sides of the same coin, it’s no accident that the Tories in Scotland have said they would prop up a failing and unpopular Labour Party in power at Holyrood.”