William Hague took his election campaign to Scotland on Wednesday, where he attacked Labour over its treatment of pensioners and on tax.

His tour took Hague to two Labour marginals, Eastwood and then Stirling, where the Conservatives are in second place.

Speaking in Eastwood, Hague accused Labour of badly treating pensioners. They had been "brushed aside" by Labour, he said.

Pensioner couples would be nearly £9 a week better off under Conservative proposals, which would give them "dignity, independence and respect in retirement," said Hague.

Both Eastwood and Stirling were held by the Tories in 1992 but fell to Labour in 1997 as the Conservatives were wiped out in Scotland.

In Eastwood, Labour's 1997 victory gave them the seat with a 3236 majority. This time round Raymond Robertson, a former Tory MP and minister, will be hoping that Hague's visit boosts his chances in this affluent Glasgow suburb.

Geoff Mawdsley, standing for the Conservatives in Stirling, will be hoping for a similar benefit from Hague's visit.

The Stirling constituency saw one of the big upsets of 1997 when Labour's Anne McGuire unseated Michael Forsyth.

Targeted by both the SNP and the Tories this time, a split in the opposition vote may work in McGuire's favour and her 6411 majority may prove difficult to overturn.

As Hague hit the campaign trail in Scotland, Labour was also sending a senior cabinet minister north of the border to promote its successes in government.

Education secretary David Blunkett visited Aberdeen to hail the achievements of the New Deal programme in helping people from welfare to work.

Blunkett is also expected to challenge the other parties over their plans for helping unemployed young people.

The Scottish National Party is putting the emphasis on law and order issues. The nationalists' deputy leader Roseanna Cunningham is to set out how the party will put an extra 1000 policemen on the streets.

The SNP argues that community policing should be developed to tackle the public's fear of crime.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace was promoting his party's plans to combat hospital-acquired infections in Scotland, a problem costing the Scottish health service £100 million a year.

The Lib Dems would recruit infection control nurses to prevent the estimated 60,000 patients a year who catch infections in hospitals.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace, said: "The Scottish Liberal Democrats believe in a NHS which delivers high quality preventative medicine and promoting good health. This will save money in the long run and raise Scotland's health record."