MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tories deny any possibility of Scottish independence

Conservative leader David Cameron

United Kingdom Conservative leader David Cameron has said he would do everything in his power to prevent Scottish independence if he becomes Prime Minister. Mr Cameron's assertion comes days after his party backed the SNP's (Scottish National Party) budget north of the border.

The Tory leader said he approved of cross-party co-operation on certain issues, but he added that his party's support for the budget would not diminish its "vigorous opposition" to the SNP. And he said that his support for the bank recapitalisation last autumn had not softened his approach towards the UK Government. Writing in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, he said: "Supporting the UK Government when it did the right thing then hasn't stopped us from holding it to account since. In the same way, our support for this budget will in no way diminish our vigorous opposition to the SNP. "If elected, I will do everything in my power to ensure that the SNP will not be able to split up the UK. I want to be a Prime Minister of the whole UK." The Scottish Government's £33 billion budget was passed at the second attempt last week after Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens rejected it the first time round. He described Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie as "her own woman" and said their relationship was about co-operation, not control. A spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said: "It is not up to David Cameron, or any one individual, to decide Scotland's constitutional future. That is for the people of Scotland, in the democratic referendum the SNP Government intends to offer them". "The SNP Government will co-operate with any UK administration in the best interests of Scotland. At the next election, the way to protect and promote Scottish interests will be to return a block of 20 SNP MPs to support the work of the Scottish Government", he emphasized.