Justine Miliband has made an emotional appeal to Scots to vote No in September with her first intervention into the independence debate.
In a rare public appearance, the wife of UK Labour leader Ed Miliband revealed a strong connection to the country which runs from her childhood through into her early steps as an actress.
She toured Highland Spring’s Perthshire site in Blackford alongside Scottish party leader Johann Lamont, her deputy Anas Sarwar and Ochil and South Perthshire MP Gordon Banks on Thursday.
After the tour, she told The Courier: “I really hope that Scotland stays part of the United Kingdom, stays with us.
“Scotland has always been very important to me growing up.
“As a young actress, I used to come up to the Edinburgh Festival, which was great.
“I had some fantastic holidays on Mull so Scotland is very important to me.”
Mrs Miliband attended the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on Wednesday during her trip north, which she described as “amazing”.
She also confirmed both she and her husband would be making further campaigning trips to Scotland in the run up to both the referendum and next year’s UK General Election.
“For me, Scottish ballet was one of my favourite moments (of the opening ceremony) but what I found really interesting was the sense I got of the Glasgow people,” she said.
“Very friendly, very welcoming, so it is great to be here.
“We are coming back. We come to the Edinburgh Festival, we came last year and we are definitely coming back.”
Labour shadow Cabinet members have been quoted as saying environmental lawyer Mrs Miliband could be her husband’s “secret weapon” in the run-up to the Westminster vote.
Strategists are reportedly planning a bigger role for her, particularly at the party’s annual conference in Manchester in September, although she has largely stayed out of the media spotlight until now.
She boarded Labour’s so-called Indy Ref Express as it visited Blackford and Alloa.
Photo by Phil Hannah