The SNP's John Swinney has kicked off a campaign blitz with speech targeting the pensioner vote in Scotland.

As the party goes on the offensive with a 100-hour long series of campaigns stretching through the night in Glasgow, Swinney said the protection of Scotland's pensioners and health budget would be key themes for the SNP in the final week of the campaign.

Addressing an audience of pensioners in Edinburgh, Swinney said that a bigger SNP presence in Westminster would reduce Labour's chances repeating the "insulting" seventy-five pence increase in the basic state pension.

"A party that stood for Scotland and Scottish values would never have increased the pension by 75 pence. Tony Blair said this was his biggest regret - but he is not the one struggling to cope on such a low income," said the SNP leader.

Swinney told his audience that SNP MPs at Westminster would be the only effective voice fighting for the restoration of the link between pensions and earnings increases.

"Scotland's pensioners have contributed all their working lives to the wealth of this country, and should not be left behind in their retirement," he said.

Swinney argued that the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in Edinburgh had "talked a good game" but failed to deliver on free personal care for the elderly. His party would stop London cutting Edinburgh's share of the health budget, he said.

Scotland has contributed more to the Treasury than it has got back in return, said Swinney.

"It is now time that Scotland started benefiting from the taxes and revenues we send to London. Improving the state pension and ending pensioner poverty is a fitting way to start redressing that balance," he concluded.