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WESTMINSTER’s main party leaders today set aside their differences to promise that a No vote will mean a stronger Scottish Parliament and total protection for the NHS.

David Cameron , Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have signed up to a historic joint statement that was demanded by the Daily Record on behalf of the people of Scotland.

In their own words, they pledge to work together to transfer more powers to Holyrood if Scots reject independence on Thursday.

The Prime Minister, his Lib Dem deputy and the Labour leader also promise to ensure that no one

other than the Scottish Parliament can cut vital public services such as the NHS.

The unprecedented agreement was signed after the Record demanded that the leaders clearly explain what they are offering so the Scottish people can decide if it is a better alternative to independence.

The agreement was brokered by former prime minister Gordon Brown and Scottish Labour.

It will give Scots who remain unsure about separation complete confidence that, if there is a No vote, Scotland will still be given much more control over its future.

Brown has already outlined a fast-tracked timetable for transferring more powers from Westminster to Holyrood if Scots vote No .

This new pledge means that all the parties with a chance of forming the next UK government have guaranteed the “extensive” new powers will be put on the statute book next year.

The joint statement also rubbishes claims from the SNP that the Barnett Formula for calculating Scotland’s budget could be changed to leave us less money for public services.

It pledges: “Because of the continuation of the Barnett allocation for resources, and the powers of the Scottish Parliament to raise revenue, we can state categorically that the final say on how much is spent on the NHS will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.”

Last night, Brown said more powers for Scotland are now “locked in” to a No vote on Thursday .

And he said the agreement for a timetable for change that will reshape Scotland’s role in the Union is now backed up by a public pledge to deliver.

Brown added: “In the past few days, I have been travelling the country, speaking at more than 30 rallies and town hall meetings. I want to sum up what I have heard.

“People want change. Whether it is because global economic forces are making their jobs less secure, of inferior status, lower paid and restricting the opportunities for their children, or whether it is in response to concerns about the bedroom tax, food banks and the future of public services, it is absolutely clear that people want change.

“But while change through the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1997 was the “settled will” of the Scottish people, it is clear that the nationalists’ proposal for change through independence is not.

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“Not even the most ardent and optimistic nationalist would claim that there is an overwhelming majority for separation, as there was for devolution.

“I believe that there is, however, a programme of change that can bring the people of Scotland together.

“I sense that people want change that can unite Scotland, rather than divide Scotland.

“They want to know that a No vote does not mean no change and instead seek guarantees of change, locked in and clear assurances that from September 19, the pace of change will not stall but speed up.

“But they want a promise of change they can trust – without the risks and uncertainties of an irreversible separation. I believe they are saying to us, ‘Give us the guarantees of change and with

these guarantees, we can vote for a strong Scottish Parliament within the UK’.

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“We have heard important statements in Glasgow on Friday by Ed Miliband and Scottish Labour Party leader Johann Lamont and in Aberdeen by the Prime Minister.

“I believe that tonight, having listened to what the pro-devolution parties are saying, we can give these guarantees, that lock in change that is better, faster, fairer and safer than anything the SNP can offer through independence.

“So let us lock in three guarantees that will deliver the best deal for a stronger Scottish Parliament

within the United Kingdom. The guarantees that we now have pave the way to the future – a great

Scotland as a driving, successful and vibrant nation playing its full part in Great Britain.

“I believe what I am saying locks in a period of constitutional improvement and progress in preference to the risk-laden and dangerous change offered from an irreversible separation from which there is no going back.”

Cameron backed the timetable for more powers in an emotional speech in Aberdeen yesterday .

He told more than 800 party members and activists that the UK is not a “perfect country” and pledged to change it.

The PM added: “The question is, how do you get that change?

“For me it’s simple. You don’t get the change you want by ripping your country apart. You don’t get change by undermining your economy and damaging your businesses and diminishing your place in the world.”

Cameron said the plans outlined by the pro-UK parties amounted to “real, concrete” change.

He added: “The status quo is gone. This campaign has swept it away. There is no going back to the way things were. A vote for No means real change.

“We have spelled that change out in practical terms, with a plan and a process.

“If we get a No vote, that will trigger a major, unprecedented programme of devolution, with additional powers for the Scottish Parliament – major new powers over tax, spending and welfare services.

“We have agreed a timetable for that stronger Scottish Parliament – a timetable to bring in the new powers that will go ahead if there is a No vote. A White Paper by November, put into draft legislation by January.

“This is a timetable that is now agreed by all the main political parties and set in stone and I am prepared to work with all the main parties to deliver this during 2015.

“So a No vote means faster, fairer, safer and better change.”

Cameron seemed close to tears as he made a direct appeal to Scots to vote No. He admitted that many people might be tempted by a Yes vote just to get rid of his Government. But he warned Scots not to “mix up the temporary and the permanent”.

With his voice breaking, Cameron added: “Don’t think, ‘I’m frustrated with politics right now, so I’ll walk out the door and never come back’.

“If you don’t like me, I won’t be here forever. If you don’t like this Government, it won’t last forever. But if you leave the UK – that will be forever.

“The different parts of the UK don’t always see eye-to-eye. Yes, we need change and we will deliver it.

“But to get that change, to get a brighter future, we don’t need to tear our country apart.”

He asked Scots to consider what would provide the best future for them and their family when they cast their vote.

Cameron said: “As you stand in the stillness of the polling booth, I hope you will ask yourself this – will my family and I truly be better off by going it alone? Will we really be more safe and secure?

“‘Do I really want to turn my back on the rest of Britain and why is it that so many people across the world are asking, ‘Why would Scotland want to do that? Why?’

“And if you don’t know the answer to these questions – then vote No.”

Promises

Guarantee One

❱❱ New powers for the Scottish Parliament.

❱❱ Holyrood will be strengthened with extensive new powers, on a timetable beginning on September 19, with legislation in 2015.

❱❱ The Scottish Parliament will be a permanent and irreversible part of the British constitution.

Guarantee Two

❱❱ The guarantee of fairness to Scotland.

❱❱ The guarantee that the modern purpose of the Union is to ensure opportunity and security by pooling and sharing our resources equitably for our defence, prosperity and the social and economic welfare of every citizen, including through UK pensions and UK funding of healthcare.

Guarantee Three

❱❱ The power to spend more on the NHS if that is Scottish people’s will.

❱❱ The guarantee that with the continued Barnett allocation, based on need and with the power to raise its own funds, the final decisions on spending on public services in Scotland, including on the NHS, will be made by the Scottish Parliament.

❱❱ The Scottish Parliament will have the last word on how much is spent on health. It will have the power to keep the NHS in public hands and the capacity to protect it.