Video: Gordon Brown comes out fighting in Sheffield

The former Prime Minister dismissed speculation about the possible shape of a Labour-SNP deal as “insider talk” fuelled by the Conservatives who, he claimed, were afraid to debate the issues.

He claimed the Conservatives had surrendered the right to speak for the whole of the UK because of their “very divisive” campaign.

Mr Brown was speaking to Labour activists at Parkwood Academy in Sheffield yesterday where he urged them to renew their efforts for the remaining days of the election campaign.

He said: “The Conservative Party can no longer claim in this election to be the unionist party in this country.

“It is Ed Miliband who is the one leader who is capable of uniting this country after May 7 and let’s tell people that on the doorsteps.”

Mr Brown told Labour supporters the SNP were desperate to appear “relevant” and so were claiming they will hold the balance of power after the election.

He added: “In public they say they want a Labour government, in private they want a Conservative government because they know they only make progress when people are under a Conservative government they don’t like rather than a Labour government they do like.

“We’ve got to say on the doorstep that we cannot work with a party that wants to break up a country we want to build up and they don’t believe in the values of social justice, solidarity and sharing that makes us want to be part of one community throughout the United Kingdom.”

Mr Brown claimed Labour would offer Yorkshire a “better deal” than the region has had from the outgoing government.

“We know that on transport, you don’t get a fair share of the resources that are concentrated on London.

“We know on infrastructure we spend about £500 per person here but in London it is £5,000 per person and something has got to be done about that inequality.

“And we know the result of not investing is less employment opportunity in this region for young people and for adults who are unemployed so the unemployment rate is higher.

“Let’s have a fair distribution of resources so that Yorkshire and Humberside can create the jobs that are needed build the transport that is necessary and create the infrastructure.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Brown tried to play down the SNP’s chances of success in the election despite fresh polling suggesting the party will make huge inroads.

“I think you’ll find there will be a substantial Labour vote in Scotland and I’ve been working very hard with people in Scotland to make sure that happens.

“People in Scotland like people in Yorkshire want change, they want social justice to be at the top of the agenda, that’s why they hate the bedroom tax and the consequences of austerity like the effects of zero hours contracts.

“I think we will be able to persuade people in Scotland to vote Labour too.”

Mr Brown said the rise in Scottish nationalism was fuelled by insecurity and the answer was to address that by creating jobs not splitting up the country.