SNP conference: Nicola Sturgeon makes appeal to Labour voters
SNP conference: Nicola Sturgeon says campaign for Union 'in deep trouble'
(about 5 hours later)
Scotland's deputy first minister will appeal to Labour supporters to "reclaim" the party by voting for independence in September's referendum.
Scotland's deputy first minister has attacked the campaign to keep the Union, saying it was in "deep trouble", ahead of the independence referendum.
Nicola Sturgeon will say a Yes vote could rejuvenate Scottish Labour by freeing it from Westminster control.
Nicola Sturgeon also said PM David Cameron was "struggling to locate that part of his anatomy" which would see him debate First Minister Alex Salmond.
Her comments, in a speech to the final SNP conference before the referendum, will come in the week the party celebrates its 80th birthday.
But she told the SNP conference supporters still had to fight hard for a "Yes" vote in September's poll.
Ms Sturgeon will also announce an extra £1m funding to support food banks.
Ms Sturgeon added that Labour could "reclaim" its party with independence.
The deputy SNP leader will tell the party faithful in Aberdeen that Scottish Labour stalwarts like former MP Dennis Canavan and ex-Strathclyde Council leader Charles Gray have come out in support of voting Yes on 18 September.
Her speech in Aberdeen came after The Guardian newspaper quoted an unnamed UK minister as saying a formal pound-sharing currency union between an independent Scotland could happen, despite it being ruled out by the UK government.
Ms Sturgeon will say: "To every Labour voter in the country I say this - the Yes campaign is not asking you to leave your party.
And, during a speech in the US, former Nato secretary general and Scottish Labour MP Lord George Robertson said Scottish independence would be cataclysmic for the West in an era of international turmoil.
"Instead, it offers you the chance to get your party back."
Ms Sturgeon said: "With friends like Lord George, it's no wonder the 'No' campaign is in trouble - and it is in deep trouble."
She will say: "An independent Scotland will not mean the end of Labour, but it might mean a rejuvenated Labour.
She said of the "currency confession": "It speaks volumes that the blame game in the 'No' campaign has already begun.
"A Labour Party free to make its own decisions, a Labour Party no longer dancing to a Westminster tune.
"The Liberals say Labour isn't working hard enough. Labour says no-one believes in the Liberals anymore. And the Tories? Well, the lecture tour continues."
"For everyone out there with Labour in your heart, the message is clear - don't vote No to stop the SNP, vote Yes to reclaim the Labour party."
Hitting out at the prime minister's refusal to debate head-to-head with Mr Salmond on TV, Ms Sturgeon added: "I can report today that the prime minister, who promised to fight for the Union with heart, head, body and soul, is still struggling to locate that part of his anatomy that will allow him to agree to a debate with Alex Salmond."
In the final months of campaigning before the referendum, Scotland's SNP government is seeking to persuade voters that the nation "can, should and must" be independent.
Polls still indicate support for a No vote, but the party says the gap has been narrowing as it seeks to put forward the arguments for Scotland going it alone.
The SNP says Scotland is the 14th richest country among the world's most developed nations, and with independence, would be able to take control of its own resources to better the nation.
This would include, says the party, taking responsibility for the economy, taxation, welfare and defence.
Ms Sturgeon will also use her speech to announce £1m of Scottish government funding over two years to support food banks, citing evidence that demand for such services in the UK has been growing.
Half the cash will go to food supply organisation Fairshare, while the rest will be put into a fund to be shared among similar bodies.
The SNP is also meeting for the last time before May's European Election, where the party is seeking to hold on to the biggest share of the vote in Scotland, which it won for the first time in the 2009 poll.
