David Cameron last night sounded the rallying cry to Scotland from the rest of the UK: “We want you to stay”.
Addressing delegates at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, the Prime Minister said he thought the evidence for a No vote next September “stacks up strongly”, but focused on an emotional appeal.
He encouraged English party members to make a positive case for Scotland remaining part of Britain by showing the country it was valued by the rest of the UK.
Mr Cameron said: “I’m in absolutely no doubt that Scotland, together with the United Kingdom, will be better off, will be stronger, will be safer, will be more prosperous. I’m absolutely convinced of that, but that’s not the point I want to make to you.
“The point is simply this I want the message to go out from this conference, from this conference here in Manchester, here in England, here amongst the Conservatives. I want the message to go out to people in Scotland to be simply this: ‘We want you to stay’. We value Scotland being part of the United Kingdom.
“I believe Scotland would be better off inside the United Kingdom, but I want the rest of the United Kingdom to shout loudly and proudly that we will be better off with you with us. So that is what this debate is to be about. Our common future. The fact that our kingdom, our countries, will be so much stronger if we stick together.”
A source close to the Prime Minister said the message was a “wellspring of deep affection that we, the English and Welsh Conservatives, want Scotland to stay.”
Mr Cameron also used his speech to warn against complacency and urged people to keep the “vital battle of keeping our United Kingdom together” at the forefront of their minds.”
The Prime Minister also ridiculed Alex Salmond for writing to Downing Street asking for the two leaders to take part in a TV debate, something Mr Cameron has steadfastly rejected.
He said: “The letters really are like what my children keep saying to me: ‘Can we have some time on the telly?’”
However, SNP MSP Annabelle Ewing claimed Mr Cameron’s position on a televised showdown was “getting even more ridiculous” and said: “Mr Cameron should either put up or shut up”.