The economic turnaround under the Conservative-led government is "little short of a miracle" and risks being wrecked by the "toxic" alliance of Labour and the SNP, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
The Tory leader has urged nationalist critics to resist voting tactically for Labour in the hope of neutering the SNP's influence, insisting it is "nigh on impossible for Ed Miliband to win a majority".
Writing in the Scottish Daily Mail, Mr Cameron said: "Cast your mind back five years ago. Scotland, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, was on the brink of bankruptcy.
"Years of Labour mismanagement had taken us to the cliff edge. The uncertainty was palpable. People were terrified of losing their jobs and homes.
"So, it is little short of a miracle to see how far we have come in the five years since."
He added: "The truth is - it's no miracle or magic that has got us here. It is the hard work of people across these islands.
"It is the fact that the Conservatives have a long-term economic plan that we have been patiently seeing through.
"So it is utterly shocking to think all that hard-won, hard-earned, hard-fought-for progress could be ruined by the toxic combination of Labour and the SNP."
Mr Cameron said the Conservatives offer "certainty" while Labour and the SNP offer "uncertainty and risk" over the economy and the future of the UK.
"It is nigh on impossible for Ed Miliband to win a majority at this election," he said.
"We can be 99% certain he would need to be propped up by another party. And who would that be? The SNP.
"So don't be fooled into thinking that you should switch from Conservatives to Labour to dent the march of the SNP. That would have the opposite outcome.
"A vote for Labour is still a vote for the SNP. They are joined at the hip. Vote for either and you get them both.
"In fact, a vote for anyone apart from the Conservatives and you'd see Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond standing outside that black door on Downing Street."
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