Almost 100,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the pre-referendum promise of further devolution for the Scottish Parliament is delivered with no strings attached.

Gordon Brown, who issued a call for Scots to put their names to the petition yesterday, said it would be presented to Westminster during a debate on Scotland to be held in the Commons on October 16.

The SNP attacked the former prime minister's efforts as "hopeless", pointing out that the debate he had called would last only half-an-hour.

Nationalist MP Pete Wishart has written to the Speaker of the House of Commons asking that all business be cancelled and the entire day be given over to debating the issue.

He said the petition was an "astonishing" move given the "solemn vow" on more powers signed by David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband in the days before a majority of Scots backed a No vote in the independence referendum.

Mr Brown, who was instrumental in agreeing a timetable for further devolution, asked people on both sides of the debate to sign the petition with the message that new powers must be delivered without Conservative strings attached.

The Prime Minister's post-referendum proposal to tackle the issue of English votes for English laws alongside further devolution for Scotland sparked a major row with Labour, whose power at Westminster would be diminished by increasing the powers of English MPs.

The move has sparked accusations of backtracking in relation to the referendum vow, despite Downing Street's insistence that the promise would be kept.

Mr Brown has called for the devolution of 14 new powers, which would encompass borrowing, welfare, the Crown Estate, employment rights, health and safety, equality, income tax and an assignment of a share of VAT revenues, among other areas.

He said: "Change is guaranteed. But the question is whether it comes with strings attached, or with no ifs and no buts, qualifying the original promises.

"The real goal is to unite Scotland within the UK by delivering the original promises and new powers intact - and not to allow Scotland to be divided from the UK by diminishing the status of Scottish representation, as on budget decision-making on taxes, and distancing Scotland from the UK.

"The petition is a call for unity around the original undiluted programme of strengthening the Scottish Parliament and I urge more people in Scotland to sign it."

Mr Wishart said that the allotted time for debate would allow only Mr Brown and a minister from the Scotland Office time to speak.

He said: "Gordon Brown has been hopeless in his attempts to hold Westminster and their 'vow' to account.

"Gordon Brown's debate is nothing other than an end of day adjournment debate, meaning that it will only last a half hour, is un-amendable and cannot be voted on.

"Such an adjournment debate as set by Mr Brown is insufficient to address the full range of concerns about the issue of 'more powers' promised to Scotland."

He added: "What's more, in an astonishing move, Gordon Brown himself has called on 100 000 Scots to sign a petition calling on Westminster to keep their promises to Scotland.

"A solemn vow made by the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition must surely rank as one of the most important joint statements delivered by the House in recent times. It should be given the attention and time it deserves."