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Blair to address youth conference Blair tells SNP to debate policy
(about 3 hours later)
Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to step up his mission to bolster his party's fortunes in Scotland. Prime Minister Tony Blair has accused the SNP of attacking him on Iraq to avoid debating policy in the Scottish Parliament election campaign.
Mr Blair will address Labour's youth conference on the second day of his two-day visit north of the border. He said the nationalist's leader Alex Salmond was stooping to "personal insults" to win votes.
His trip began on Thursday with an hour-long question-and-answer session with Labour activists in Glasgow. Mr Blair will address Labour's youth conference on the second day of his trip to Scotland.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell will open its Scottish party conference in Aviemore - at the same time as Mr Blair speaks in Glasgow. Mr Salmond responded by challenging the prime minister to a debate on the issues facing Scotland.
Mr Blair told the Glasgow gathering of the benefits already gained for Scotland through "partnership" working by Westminster and Edinburgh. Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr Blair cited Labour's record in power in London and Edinburgh, on areas such as the economy and social legislation.
"It's not just a question of putting out the negative and disastrous consequences of separation, although I think those are very clear," he said. He said: "You mention the issues to do with Iraq - that's not what's going to be determined in the Scottish election, and the SNP know that.
"It's also the positive elements of us coming together and working together." "So why is it that they are going on that issue?
He claimed that Labour has no serious challenger on policy issues. Scotland's future
"We should be confident in the case we have got, and we should have confidence in the leadership we have got here, and confidence in the good sense of the Scottish people," said Mr Blair. "They are going on it because they don't actually want to have a debate about the future of Scotland and the future of the policies that are going to be determined by the Scottish election."
"If, as happens in the end, the debate gets round to policy and the future, I don't think any of us are in any doubt as to what should happen. Mr Blair acknowledged he might not be regarded by everyone as an asset to Labour's Holyrood campaign.
"What we have to make sure over the next few weeks and months is that what should happen does happen." His address to Labour's youth conference will come at the same time as Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell will open his Scottish party conference in Aviemore.
Mr Salmond said First Minister Jack McConnell had repeatedly refused to debate Scotland's future with him.
"Yet Mr Blair says that it is the SNP who don't want to debate the policies," said Mr Salmond.
Mr Salmond challenged Mr Blair to a debate on Scotland's future
"It just shows how out of touch Tony Blair is.
He said Scotland had the choice between sticking with a failed Labour Party, or choosing a better, more successful future with the SNP.
On Thursday Mr Blair visited Easterhouse in Glasgow before addressing party activists.
On Friday he continued to speak of the benefits already gained for Scotland through "partnership" working by Westminster and Edinburgh.
He said that half all Scots had relatives in England.
"Take me - my father was English, my mother was Irish, both of them brought up in Scotland," he said.
"I was born in Scotland, and lived most of my life in England. That's the way of the world today."