Nicola Sturgeon has pledged that the SNP would help make Labour's Ed Miliband prime minister if the Conservatives fail to win a majority in next month's general election.
The Scottish First Minister made the offer as she clashed with Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy in the first televised Scottish leaders debate.
Mr Murphy insisted his party did not need "help" from the nationalists to oust Conservative David Cameron from 10 Downing Street.
The Scottish Labour leader asked the First Minister: "Nicola, do you want Ed Miliband to be prime minister?"
She told him: "I don't want David Cameron to be prime minister, I'm offering to help make Ed Miliband prime minister."
Mr Murphy insisted: "Nicola, we don't need your help. What we need is people north and south of the border, people in Scotland, people in England and people in across Wales coming together to kick out an out of touch government."
Ms Sturgeon however insisted that the Labour Party did not offer an alternative to austerity, and SNP MPs were needed in Westminster to keep them "honest".
She said: "The Labour Party right now is not offering an alternative to Tory austerity, I stood on a platform last week in the UK leaders debate with Ed Miliband and I heard Miliband say if Labour is elected and left to their own devices there will be further spending reductions.
"I don't want to see further spending reductions, I don't think the country can afford them. That's why we're proposing modest spending increases and with SNP influence we can force Labour down that path."
The Scottish First Minister has already said offered to work with Labour to keep the Tories out of power if this is possible in a hung parliament.
Ms Sturgeon said tonight: "I've said to Ed Miliband and I'll say to Jim Murphy this evening, that if there is an anti-Tory majority in the House of Commons after the election, even if the Tories are the biggest party we will work with Labour to keep David Cameron out of Downing Street."
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