Prime Minister David Cameron led an audience from south of the border on a tour of the north and north-east yesterday as he attempted to persuade them to join the battle to save the UK.
From the bravery of RAF Lossiemouth-based pilots and Fort George’s Black Watch troops to historic Aberdeen University and powerhouse Scotch whisky and North Sea oil industries, his emotive rallying call touched on them all.
Even Alford-raised singer Emeli Sande was name-checked as Mr Cameron pleaded with residents of England, Wales and Northern Ireland to “get on the phone” to friends and family in the north.
Delivered at London’s Olympic Velodrome, where he was hearing echoes of Team GB’s 2012 successes, Mr Cameron declared in his speech: “I love this country. I love the United Kingdom and all it stands for.”
First Minister Alex Salmond dismissed the speech last night as a “threadbare defence” of the Union, filled with “bogus” arguments.
Mr Cameron spoke for the first time in the referendum campaign about his pride in his own Scottish roots, with his father, Ian Cameron, having been born near Huntly, at Blairmore House, built by his great-great-grandfather.
The prime minister – who is due to bring his Cabinet to Aberdeen later this month – said: “Such is the fusion of our bloodlines that my surname goes back to the west Highlands and, by the way, I am as proud of my Scottish heritage as I am of my English heritage.
“The name Cameron might mean crooked nose but the clan motto is ‘Let us unite’ – and that’s exactly what we in these islands have done.”
To convince what he called the “shoulder shruggers” and the “few” in the south who hope Scots do vote to go it alone, Mr Cameron said: “I could give you a list of the Scottish strengths, their historic universities like Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and St Andrews, great industries, from food processing to financial services, from shipbuilding to science.”
For Scots, he insisted that on foreign trade trips “there’s barely a meeting where I don’t bang the drum for whisky”, while he said the nation’s energy industry was underpinned by a “market of tens of millions”.
Mr Cameron invoked the spirit of the “finest armed forces on the planet”, saying: “I think of the fighter pilots originally operating from RAF Lossiemouth who flew sorties over Libya and the legendary Scottish titles now part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, like the Black Watch and the Highlanders.”
His speech marked the end of a week in which the independence battle appeared to have entered a new phase, with interventions from business chiefs including BP boss Bob Dudley and polls showing a rise in support for independence.
Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign, dismissed the prime minister’s speech.
“David Cameron continues to lecture Scotland, but still refuses to debate in Scotland,” he said.
“To use the Olympic Games as a political tool shows that the ‘no’ campaign and its leader are running scared and running out of ideas. The positive case for ‘no’ clearly doesn’t exist.”
Tanni Grey-Thompson, the Welsh gold medal-winning Paralympian, attended the speech.
Speaking afterwards, she said the Olympics had shown “what happens when everybody supports each other” and revealed that her daughter had been selected to represent England at sport.”
John Cridland, director-general of business group CBI, said: “The prime minister is right to highlight the fact that Scotland makes a huge contribution to the UK.
“The Union supports jobs, better living standards and growth on both sides of the border, which is why we’re stronger together.”