SNP extends message of 'friendship' to the rest of the UK

Nicola Sturgeon will extend a message of "friendship and solidarity" to voters in the rest of the UK. Credit: Danny Lawson / PA WIRE

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will today extend a message of "friendship and solidarity" to voters in the rest of the UK, during a speech to the party's conference.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to pledge that the SNP will work with others to make a positive change at Westminster and will argue that the "outdated and discredited" parliamentary system needs to change "once and for all".

She will also vow that the SNP would work to make Parliament "more responsive to the needs and demands of ordinary people" and would demand an alternative to "slash and burn austerity".

Opinion polls suggest her Scottish nationalists are on the verge of winning dozens of seats in May's general election, and could hold the balance of power if there is a hung parliament.