60 Second Briefing: April 20
Conservatives
- David Cameron came north and Annabel Goldie headed south to tie the Conservative knot in Gretna. The Westminster leader making the case to keep the UK united, saying Scotland should be inspired and not threatened over its constitutional future. David Trimble, who left the Ulster Unionists to become a Tory, joined his new leader on the Dumfriesshire campaign trail.
LibDems
- Nicol Stephen said in Glasgow he wants to help 40,000 homes become "energy-friendly", with the help of grant support and tax rebates, linked to tax rebates of up to £300. Special help would be aimed at low income households.
Labour
- Chancellor Gordon Brown was at the Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow, promising apprenticeships, skills and high employment. Jack McConnell was in Dumfries, where Labour faces a rare Tory challenge, trying to ouflank Conservatives on crime. The campaign was not helped by former Scotland Secretary Helen Liddell sparking a row in Australia about the reasons for invading Iraq.
SNP
- Deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon visited a Falkirk playgroup, and published a Family Charter, highlighting party policies that could help families. Labour responded that increased tax bills to pay for SNP plans would not help at all. Alex Salmond survived an STV grilling, which featured his claims for a government efficiency drive and an attack on his personality traits.
Others
- Greens were outside Holyrood, trumpeting their plans to combat climate change.
- New party Scottish Voice spelled out its principles and policy-free approach, despite having policies that would make schools self-governing and put clinicians in charge of the health service.
- A new group called Veterans for Scotland was formed, to draw attention to the needs of the military, while opposed to the Iraq war.
