Tories challenge Gordon Brown to say whether federal UK plans mean referendum

The Scottish Conservatives have called on Gordon Brown to clarify whether Scottish Labour's plan for a federal UK would require a referendum.

Mr Brown is expected to campaign in the General Election on Saturday as a key force behind the party's plans for increased federalism in the UK.

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said: "To move to a federal UK would mark a historic and monumental constitutional change.

"As a leading proponent of the idea, Gordon Brown has to spell out how it would be achieved.

"Kezia Dugdale has raised the prospect of presenting it as an option in a second referendum on Scottish independence and, as we see Labour cosying up ever closer to the SNP, that is bound to set alarm bells ringing.

"Gordon Brown and Scottish Labour need to come clean about exactly what they are planning."

Scottish Labour is holding its biggest ever telephone campaign this weekend, targeting 2000,000 swing voters in marginal seats.

The party said it plans to use new software which uses socio-demographic modelling and polling to identify the key swing voters in each constituency before getting in contact.

Among the seats Labour is targeting in this weekend's drive are Edinburgh South, East Lothian, Lanark and Hamilton East, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, Midlothian, Rutherglen and Hamilton West, East Renfrewshire.

Scottish Labour's General Election campaign manager James Kelly said: "Swing voters in marginal seats across Scotland will be directly contacted by our members. These are areas where it is a two-horse race between Labour and the SNP, and voting Tory in these areas will just let the Nationalists back in."

He said voters are "increasingly fed up with Nicola Sturgeon's record in office" calling on her to drop plans for a second independence referendum and focus on day-today governance.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who will take his election campaign to an alpaca farm on the outskirts of Edinburgh on Saturday, also called for the SNP to drop plans for a second referendum.

He said: "The SNP manifesto needs to cancel the divisive independence referendum so that the SNP can finally turn their attention full time to Scottish public services.

"Even the creatures in the fields know that the SNP's obsession with independence is harming public services."

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Finance Minister Derek MacKay will campaign with the East Dunbartonshire candidate and activists in Kirkintilloch.

Nicola Sturgeon will set out SNP manifesto plans for Scotland's young people and say votes for her party are "vital to ensure a strong voice for Scotland, and prevent the dangers of an unopposed Tory government at Westminster".