British prime minister David Cameron has implored Scots to shun independence to keep the United Kingdom "family" intact, as he scrambled to stem a steep rise in secessionist support ahead of next week's referendum.
In a sign of panic within the British ruling elite, Mr Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband scrapped their weekly question-and-answer session to visit Scotland on Wednesday to ask Scots not to ditch their 307-year union with England.
"We do not want this family of nations to be ripped apart," Mr Cameron said in an opinion piece published in the Daily Mail newspaper.
"The United Kingdom is a precious and special country."
But the prime minister tempered the emotion with a clear warning: "If the UK breaks apart, it breaks apart forever."
He had until now been largely absent from the debate after conceding his privileged background and centre-right politics meant he was not the best person to win over Scots, who were usually more left-wing than the English.
But if Scotland votes for independence, Mr Cameron's job would be on the line ahead of a national election planned for next May.
We do not want this family of nations to be ripped apart. The United Kingdom is a precious and special country.
British prime minister David Cameron
Several opinion polls have shown a surge in support for independence over recent weeks, spooking financial markets and raising the biggest internal challenge to the UK since Irish independence almost a century ago.
Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg were all to visit Scotland in what nationalist leader Alex Salmond said was a sign of panic that could backfire.
"If I thought they were coming by bus, I'd send the bus fare," Mr Salmond said.
The Scottish leader said Mr Cameron was the most unpopular conservative leader ever among Scots, and Mr Miliband the most distrusted Labour leader.
Following an independence vote, Britain and Scotland would face 18 months of talks on how to carve up everything from North Sea oil and the pound to European Union membership and Britain's main nuclear submarine base at Faslane.
The formal name for the sovereign state that includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The voluntary union of England, which had subsumed Wales, with Scotland in 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain. It became the United Kingdom in 1801 with a formal union with subject Ireland.
Reuters
Photo: Workers prepare to count referendum votes in a counting centre in Aberdeen. (Reuters: Dylan Martinez) 
Photo: An election official counts referendum votes in a counting centre at Ingliston in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Paul Hackett) 
Photo: Election officials begin counting referendum votes in a counting centre at Ingliston in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Paul Hackett) 
Photo: Ballot boxes arrive at the counting centre at Ingliston in Edinburgh. (Getty Images: Jeff J Mitchell) 
Photo: Ryan Randall plays his flame-throwing bagpipes outside a polling station in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Paul Hackett) 
Photo: Poll clerk George MacKay sits in the Coulags caravan polling station in the Scottish Highlands. (Reuters: Cathal McNaughton) 
Photo: Voters enter a polling station in Pitlochry to place their votes during the referendum. (Reuters: Russell Cheyne) 
Photo: A pro-union campaigner distributes leaflets as voters arrive to vote at a polling station in Glasgow. (AFP: Ian Macnicol) 
Photo: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond leaves a polling station in Strichen after casting his vote during the referendum on Scottish independence, September 18, 2014. (Reuters: Dylan Martinez) 
Photo: People leave a polling station after placing their votes in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Paul Hackett) 
Photo: A young voter leaves a polling station after casting her vote in Edinburgh. (AFP: Leon Neal) 
Photo: A man wears pro-independence stickers on his glasses in central Glasgow. The Yes vote has been moving ahead on Facebook as the vote draws nearer. (AFP: Leon Neal) 
Photo: A worker carries ballot boxes to a delivery van in Edinburgh the day before the referendum. (AFP: Ben Stansall) 
Photo: First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, gives the thumbs up as he flies past the Wallace Monument in Stirling. (Reuters: Paul Hackett) 
Photo: A 'no' vote supporter in Edinburgh, Scotland, holds a sticker depicting an image of Queen Elizabeth II. (AFP: Ben Stansall) 
Photo: Opposing yes and no signs sit in windows in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Russell Cheyne) 
Photo: A 'Yes' supporter with a tattoo of Scotland on his back holds a Saltire at a rally outside the BBC in Glasgow. (Reuters: Paul Hackett) 
Photo: Thousands of members of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland have marched to oppose independence. (AFP: Ben Stans) 
Photo: A pro-independence Scottish supporter flashes the V for victory sign in Edinburgh. (AFP: Lesley Martin) 
Photo: Alistair Darling, the leader of the campaign to keep Scotland part of the United Kingdom, campaigns in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Russell Cheyne) 
Photo: British Prime Minister David Cameron gestures as he speaks during a visit to Scottish Widows offices in Edinburgh, Scotland, on September 10, 2014. Mr Cameron urged Scottish voters not to rip apart a 'family of nations' as he joined British party leaders in Scotland to try to head off surging support for a split. (AFP: Andrew Milligan/Pool) 
Photo: A Scottish Saltire is raised over 10 Downing Street in London. (Reuters: Luke MacGregor) 
Photo: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond (front C) stands with supporters of the 'Yes Campaign' in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Russell Cheyne) 
Photo: Members of English Scots for Yes hold a tea party on the border at Berwick Upon Tweed to celebrate the continuing open border between Scotland and England. (Getty Images: Jeff J Mitchell) 
Photo: Opposing supporters for the Yes and No campaigns argue in Edinburgh. (Reuters: Russell Cheyne) 
Photo: Scottish pro-independence supporters march through Edinburgh. (AFP: Andy Buchanan) 
Photo: A dog wears a pro-Scottish independence badge on its leash. (ABC News: Gary Kemble) 
Photo: Labour MP Jim Murphy addresses a crowd in Edinburgh during his tour to promote the case for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. (Reuters: Russell Cheyne) 
Photo: A girl with her face painted with the Scottish Saltire looks on as pro-independence supporters gather for a rally in Edinburgh. (AFP: Andy Buchanan) 
Photo: The Daily Mirror headline on the poll results and the British government's new proposals. (The Daily Mirror) 
Photo: A man declares his intentions as he stands outside the entrance to Edinburgh Castle. (Reuters: David Moir, file photo) 
Photo: LtoR Scottish Labour Party leader Johann Lamont, former British finance minister Alistair Darling, Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie pose for photos at launch of Campaign against Independence. (AFP: Andy Buchanan) Gallery: Scotland decidesTopics: world-politics, government-and-politics, elections, scotland, united-kingdom View the original article here
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