Nicola Sturgeon will condemn suggestions Scottish voters no not count as a “democratic outrage”.
The first minister is due to give a speech in Glasgow this morning in which she will appeal to Yes and No voters in the independence referendum to back the SNP’s “positive message”.
In an event to mark the final week of campaigning, Ms Sturgeon will set out to counter comments by former Conservative prime minister John Major that Labour government propped up by the SNP would be “a recipe for mayhem”.
Instead, she will argue the SNP MSPs will help deliver “progressive politics” for the benefit of every part of the UK.
And she will declare: “This election is not about independence or about another referendum.
“It is about giving Scotland real power at Westminster and about making sure that the voices of families, communities and individuals the length and breadth of Scotland – those who voted Yes and those who voted No – are listened to.”
Ms Sturgeon will claim the rhetoric of her political opponents suggests the SNP has no right to put forward its manifesto pledges, let alone see them enacted.
Last year people in Scotland were told their voices mattered and not to leave the UK but lead it, the audience will hear, she will say.
Now that it appears Scots are prepared to follow that advice, according to Ms Sturgeon, the same “establishment voices” have “risen up” to denounce them.
And she will refer to Sir John’s who said “the nightmare of a broken United Kingdom” had not gone away and the SNP were determined to “prise apart” the country.
She will say: “Make no mistake, the people of Scotland can be heard, loud and clear, at this election. Their votes will be counted and their votes will matter.
“To suggest they shouldn’t as Sir John Major and his allies have – that is the real democratic outrage.”
Ms Sturgeon will say that as long as Scotland remains part of the Westminster system Scottish voices “must have equal weight” and anything else would be “an affront to the democratic principles” which critics of the SNP claimed to hold dear.