THE man who wants to be Prime Minister this week has appealed to voters in Glasgow to "come back to Labour" and back him to defeat David Cameron and the Tories.

 

Ed Miliband, in an exclusive interview with the Evening Times, said he has changed the party and taken it way from New Labour and his is a party that will fight to end inequality and fight for working people.

Mr Miliband said Labour would mean more jobs and a better deal for working families, young people and pensioners in Glasgow.

He warned that the SNP would push for a second referendum and said Nicola Sturgeon threatens to vote down a Labour budget.

Asked what an Ed Miliband government would mean for the city of Glasgow, the Labour leader said: "It will mean a country run from Westminster in a different way, therefore change. Above all it will mean a country working for working people again.

"It means an £8 minimum wage, banning the exploitative zero hours contracts, it means an approach to spending that is getting rid of Tory austerity and money for the National Health Service, a Mansion Tax on the most expensive homes, a progressive tax system, abolishing the bedroom tax across the UK which of course will mean extra money for Scotland."

Mr Miliband is aware that votes and seats in Scotland could be crucial to his bid to become Prime Minister and when asked how it could be that Labour was facing wipe out a once solid Labour city, he appealed for people to stick with Labour.

Mr Miliband said: "I would make a direct appeal through The Evening Times to undecided voters.

"We've laid out a programme for social justice, for a higher minimum wage for banning exploitation of zero hours contracts, putting young people back to work a rescue plan for the health service it's a plan for a fairer economy.

"The alternative plan is a SNP plan it's a road to another referendum and it's potentially a road to a Tory government.

"It's a huge gamble so I really urge people to come back to Labour."

He repeated the campaign message that, every one less Labour MP means it's more likely you're going to have a Tory Government and questioned the SNP's commitment to working with Labour.

He said Glasgow and Scotland would have a big say in the outcome of the election

He said: "You've got Nicola Sturgeon saying she would vote down a Labour budget with policies like a mansion tax a bank bonus tax and all of that.

"So having said for ages she would somehow support a Labour government now she's saying she's going to vote down a Labour budget."

Mr Miliband knows he has to claw back support lost during the Blair years and said Labour was now a party with different leadership and direction.

Asked to outline the differences between him and Tony Blair, he said: "I'd say a couple of things, look first of all I think we shouldn't forget the last Labour government introduced things that people had talked about for 100 years, a minimum wage, a Scottish Parliament, changes that actually benefit Scotland.

"Secondly, I've moved on from New Labour. I stood for leader on the basis I was moving on from New Labour.

"I've moved on, on foreign policy and the war on Iraq, I've moved on, on inequality, because I think the gap between rich and poor scars our society and we've got to change it, and everything we've talked about whether its action at the top, like reversing the millionaires tax cut action for lower paid people is absolutely about tackling that inequality we have in our society."

Mr Miliband was joined by Labour's Glasgow East candidate, Margaret Curran, who is facing a strong challenge by Natalie McGarry of the SNP.

Ms Curran said the policies would have a direct impact on Glasgow citing a jobs guarantee funded by a bankers' bonus tax would see 6000 people get work in Glasgow.

She said: "There's too many people struggling in Glasgow at the moment and what we need to do is give people the opportunity to build a better life.

"We know we can get to work on them right away we start on day one, we can give people that better life, from pensioners who can heat their homes through to young people getting a better chance and using their skills giving them a better change door jobs and working with businesses.

"A third of Glaswegians haven't made up their minds yet so I think it's one of those elections where the outcome will be determined in the closing days of the campaign and I think what Glaswegians want are people who will fight for them fight their corner and go to Westminster and make representations for them."