Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has appealed to the English to ignore Alex Salmond as he tried to "get up" their noses in the run up to next year's independence vote.

Ms Davidson told her party faithful that the First Minister would soon appear on their television screens making statements designed to annoy them in a bid to build support for a Yes vote in Scotland.

But while they should not rise to such bait, English voters could still play a decisive role in the campaign, she said.

A deciding factor in Quebec's independence referendum almost 20 years ago had been the strong positive message from the rest of Canada, Ms Davidson said.

Although the party leadership is committed to the Union, some Conservatives, especially in the south of England, are less convinced that Scotland should remain part of the UK.

In a sign of the importance that the party thinks English public opinion could have on the campaign, Ms Davidson had been introduced by Michael Gove, the Tory Education Secretary, who told the hall next year's referendum posed " the fight of our political lives".

Ms Davidson told them: "So, over the next year, when Alex Salmond comes on your television, saying things designed to get right up your nose... Know that he's doing it on purpose, and that he doesn't speak for the majority of Scots.

"Know too, that while this is the most important decision in Scotland's history - it also affects each and every one you, no matter where you live.

"I know that many of you living in other parts of the UK won't have a vote - but we all have a stake in the result, and we can all play a part in securing our country for the future."