THE Prime Minister last night offered a handwritten pledge to the people of Northern Ireland as he urged them to vote Yes tomorrow to give children ''the future that they need''.

On his third visit in three weeks to the province, Mr Blair said he understood voters faced ''agonising and difficult'' decisions in the run-up to the referendum.

In an emotional speech to students and academics at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, the Prime Minister said: ''I know that over these past few weeks people have felt a tremendous feeling of responsibility about their future and it is right they feel this sense of responsibility. This is the chance for Northern Ireland to gain a better future and I don't know whether this chance will come again this generation if we turn our back on it now.

''But I do know that we have now, at long last, for all sorts of different reasons and as a consequence of actions by all sorts of different people, we have got the chance now to provide the future that our children need.''

Mr Blair, who repeatedly emphasised he was speaking as the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, added: ''And I hope that on Friday, people, whatever their doubts and acknowledging well that even after the referendum, yes, there will still be problems to overcome, that people have the courage to vote for the future and the stability we can bring.''

The Prime Minister's pledge promises no change in the constitutional status without the express consent of the people, a return of the power to take decisions affecting the province internally and fairness and equality for all.

In a clear attempt to woo Unionist voters uneasy at the prospect of the early release of paramilitary prisoners, Mr Blair prmised to exclude those who use or threaten violence from the Northern Ireland Assembly and that prisoners would be kept in jail unless violence is given up for good.

He said: ''I understand when people say how can we trust these people who have been engaged in violence before.

''That is a reason for supporting this agreement because in this agreement we can provide that only those who renounce violence for good once and for all can take their place in the government of Northern Ireland.''

The Prime Minister said he had spent more time working towards a solution for Northern Ireland than on any other matter since coming to power last May.

''I say that not asking for thanks, but because I want to emphasise to you how much we care about this.''

Mr Blair said he believed the agreement offered the best chance for peace, hope and stability for all.

Pouring scorn on No campaigners, Mr Blair said it was the easy option to oppose the agreement and challenged Democratic Unionist leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, to produce an alternative.

Mr Blair said a Yes vote would not rid the province of its deep seated problems but added that from now on people would argue their case ''by democracy and democracy alone. By the power of argument, not by guns or bullets or bombs or any of the paraphenalia of violence that has done such damage to this province over the past years. That surely is something worth coming to agreement for.''