Gordon Brown: I want a Union for social justice

Pooling and sharing UK resources allows people to benefit from pensions, the NHS and the national minimum wage, the MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath said.

He made the comments at the launch of United With Labour, the party's own campaign to keep Scotland in the UK.

Voters in Scotland will decide the country's future in an independence referendum on September 18 next year.

Speaking in Glasgow, Mr Brown said: "I want to to put the case for the pooling and sharing of resources right across the United Kingdom, and the benefit we all get in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland from UK pensions, from UK National Insurance, from UK funding of healthcare, from the UK minimum wage.

"There are equal social, political and economic rights for people no matter which community you live in, no matter whether you are in a poor area or a rich area of the country.

"I could put the case for the Union by talking about how our defence needs are common, our security needs are mutual, our environmental concerns are shared, that we are part of one single island. But I want to make the case, the most modern case for the Union, for the pooling and sharing of resources so that we are in a position to tackle poverty, unemployment together.

"We are in a position to fund a National Health Service based on the principle that it is free at the point of need. Therefore, I want to make the case for a Union for social justice, dominated by our principle of fairness."

Having a Scottish Parliament as part of the UK gives people in Scotland "the best insurance policy I think we could have in the world".

Mr Brown began his speech by saying that in the "last few years I have had time on my hands, time to reflect, courtesy of the British people".

Having done so, he now wants to "put the positive, principled, forward-looking case for a strong Scottish Parliament inside a strong United Kingdom".

Mr Brown said: "By pooling and sharing resources, you get the best results for everyone and you are able to achieve more by working together."

The campaign launch was held in the Emirates Arena, one of the venues for next year's Commonwealth Games where the velodrome is named after cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.

The former prime minister said: "Look, we're in the Chris Hoy centre and what does his experience show? That as a Scot, part of the UK cycling team, as he himself said, he achieved more working together."

Mr Brown hinted that more power could be devolved to Scotland if voters reject independence.

The Scottish Parliament was established by Tony Blair's Westminster government and Mr Brown said today: "I yield to no one in my pride in what we have achieved in getting devolution for the Scottish Parliament.

"And I too am happy to consider what we can do in the future to make that devolution settlement better.

"I yield to no one in my pride in being Scottish. I was born in Scotland. I was brought up in Scotland, went to school in Scotland. I live in Scotland. My children were born in Scotland. My sons are at school in Scotland. My sons are growing up in Scotland.

"We achieve more together working together than by working on our own.

"Our UK pensions, UK national insurance, the UK minimum wage, the UK equalisation of resources , the UK children's benefits are all to the benefit not just of Scottish people but to the benefit of people all across the United Kingdom."

Mr Brown went on to warn against a "race to the bottom".

On corporation tax, the former chancellor claimed if Scotland cut the rate to that of Ireland, it would lose £1.5 billion of the £3 billion raised in Scotland "immediately".

He said: "You would lose half the share of corporation tax revenue. Then what would happen is the English would cut their corporation tax, the Welsh would demand they had the right to cut theirs, the Northern Irish already want the right to cut theirs.

"Then there would be a race to the bottom and soon we would have very little revenue at all from corporations operating in the United Kingdom."

This would mean less cash for pensions, for the NHS, for education "for the basic services we need".

He said: "That race to the bottom would affect our ability to deliver the best living standards and quality of life for Scottish people."

On pensions, he questioned whether an independent Scotland would be able to provide people with the same level of financial support in their old age as the UK does.

"We know people have contributed their money in taxation and national insurance to a pension that has been guaranteed by the UK as a result of their contributions.

"Would you say you were in a better position with a UK pension, guaranteed because of your national insurance contributions over the years, than with the promise but no guarantee of a Scottish administration that has already said they are setting up a working party to consider the affordability of pensions?"

For that reason, the Scottish National Party can "give no guarantee to any citizen of Scotland about the future of pension arrangements after independence", Mr Brown said.

He also attacked the Nationalists' policy on currency. The Scottish Government says it plans to keep the pound in a "sterling zone" with the rest of the UK, in the event of independence.

This means "UK decisions on interest rates, UK decisions on money supply, UK decisions on inflation" without any "Scottish input whatsoever".

The Nationalists would "leave the decisions to the rest of the United Kingdom without there being any Scottish representation in the House of Commons, or any Scottish involvement in the decisions about the Bank of England".

He said: "The SNP, because the dogma of separation matters more to them than the needs and interests of the Scottish people, are prepared to abandon any Scottish interest in an area which matters so much."