Voting Conservative is the only way to stop “the horror” of a Labour government backed by the SNP, Tory leader David Cameron has said.
A Labour government would mean more borrowing, spending, debt, taxes and out-of-control welfare – and if the SNP have an influence it will be “even worse”, Mr Cameron said at the launch of the Conservative’s UK manifesto in Swindon, Wiltshire.
“Labour has written a very thin manifesto with very little detail,” he said. “The SNP are now going to write what I suspect will be a more detailed list which they will then try to enforce on to an Ed Miliband government.
“And here is the point of this election – if you want to stop the horror of an Ed Miliband government backed by the Scottish National Party, it’s no good voting Liberal Democrat, they could help make it happen, it’s no good voting Green, it’s no good voting Ukip.
“You have to vote for the Conservative Party as the only party that can secure a majority government to keep Britain on the right track.”
He added: “We will put all that at risk if we go back to the old Labour ways of more borrowing, more spending, more out-of-control welfare, more debt and more taxes.
“I don’t think they have learned anything from the last five years and their manifesto gives them the leeway to do it all over again.
“It won’t take many prods from Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond to make them do it all over again but, believe me, if there were some it would be even worse.”
He also accused Labour of putting the UK’s nuclear fleet, which is based in Scotland, at risk.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon confirmed today that she would vote against the renewal of Trident.
Mr Cameron said: “When it comes to the nuclear deterrent, you cannot take risks with this.
“Labour won’t answer the question: will you have four submarines? You need four submarines to make sure one is permanently at sea.
“What are you going to do, have three submarines, find that one isn’t working and buy one on eBay, is that the Labour policy?”
Mr Cameron also announced that he would extend the right to buy council houses in England to housing association homes.
The Scottish Government recently scrapped right to buy in Scotland, and the Conservative plan to extend it to housing associations would not apply in Scotland.
Earlier, Ms Sturgeon said there is no contradiction in backing nuclear-armed military alliance Nato and voting to scrap the renewal of the UK’s nuclear fleet.
“During the referendum we said if Scotland was an independent country, we would seek membership of Nato,” she said on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
“I don’t agree that that is inconsistent with taking a non-nuclear position.”
She added: “If we’re trying to encourage other countries either to get rid of their nuclear weapons or not develop nuclear weapons, then I think the last thing we should be doing is spending £100 billion renewing our nuclear weapons because that sends entirely the wrong message.”