Labour could do more “in minutes” than would be achieved by a clean sweep of SNP MPs, Gordon Brown has claimed in a last-ditch appeal to voters.
The former Prime Minister gave a passionate speech to a rally of his party’s supporters in Glasgow in what is expected to be his final major contribution of the campaign.
With the SNP well ahead in the polls, including one saying the party could win every Scottish seat, he claimed such a result would “make it more likely that the Tories are the largest party on Thursday.”
The retired Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP said: “You could have 59 SNP MPs but you would probably have a Conservative government.
“We can achieve more in a few short minutes with Labour ministers and a Labour Cabinet than we could ever achieve in five long years under the Conservatives, with all the SNP MPs in opposition.”
Mr Brown said he was addressing the audience “not as a candidate but a foot soldier” but rejected advances by Nicola Sturgeon to work with Ed Miliband to “lock the Tories out” of power at Westminster.
He also insisted Labour had not written off the possibility of winning any Scottish seats but conceded: “This has been a difficult fight.”
He also criticised the Conservatives, who he said had been stoking up English nationalism with their warnings about the damaging impact of the SNP if it could influence a Labour government.
SNP depute leader Stewart Hosie said: “A vote for the SNP on Thursday is a vote to lock the Tories out of 10 Downing Street, as Nicola Sturgeon has made clear we will work with others to deliver progressive policies across the UK.”