Gordon Brown has attacked the SNP's record in power and pledged that Labour will win back control of the Scottish Parliament.

Speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Aviemore on Friday, the prime minister turned his fire on the nationalist party which won power in last May's Holyrood elections.

The Labour leader said his party would in opposition be the "frontline of defence for the people of Scotland" against SNP cuts to public services.

And he gave strong backing to Labour's leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander, who he said would win back control of the devolved administration.

Brown said the SNP was cutting the Labour Scottish administration's "prosperity programme by £12m".

"I say that we should stand up for the people of Scotland and for the young children of Scotland, and we will be the frontline of defence against these SNP cuts," he argued.

"Because these cuts are not only wrong, they are depriving our country of its best future."

Allowances

He added that allowances for young people to stay on in education beyond 16 were also being cut.

"What was one of the first things that the SNP do?" he asked. "To cut education maintenance allowances by £12m.

"And I say again, we will be the frontline of defence for young people who need that help to get the qualifications and we will stand up against the SNP, not only because their policy is wrong but because they are depriving people of the best chance of a future for Scotland in this new global economy."

And he said that there were also "£26m of cuts in housing" and "cuts in grants from SNP local authorities to voluntary organisations".

"We have a duty to be the frontline of defence for the people of Scotland, not just to say that the cuts are wrong but it is the wrong strategy for the future of Scotland," the prime minister said.

"The difference is very clear. We are the party of social justice. That is what we want to achieve for the people of Scotland. The SNP are the party of separation."

Alexander

Alexander has been struggling to turn around Labour's fortunes in the polls since she took over the Scottish party last year, as well as being under fire over allegations surrounding donations to her leadership election campaign.

But Brown praised her as "brilliant" and backed her strategy for returning to power.

"I have known Wendy for many years," he said. She is a long-standing supporter of devolution.

"She has a passion for equality and social justice...

"She has told us we have to listen to the people of Scotland more. She has told us we have to be prepared to reform and modernise.

"And I believe that Wendy Alexander is not only the leader of our party here in Scotland but she will be the next first minister of Scotland whenever an election is declared."

He added that the new pro-Union constitutional commission launched earlier this week would see off the "separatist" threat.

"The devolution commission will show that Scottish Labour is again ready to lead the debate about the future of Scotland," he said.

Alexander earlier told BBC Radio Scotland: "We need global solutions as well as one-island solutions, but the direction of travel here is to say how is the settlement working.

"I think overwhelmingly people think it's working well, but what we need to look at is whether the Scottish Parliament has enough responsibility for the decisions it takes.

"I think out there there's a sense that Scottish politicians are not sufficiently accountable for the decisions they make."