The late rallying cry: What the three main party leaders had to say about the Scottish referendum

Video: The UK's main party leaders skipped the formalities of Westminster to try to convince those north of the border to preserve the Union

The UK's main party leaders skipped the formalities of Westminster to try to convince those north of the border to preserve the Union (Getty Images)

With just under a week to go until the Scottish referendum, the UK’s three main party leaders ditched with the formalities of Prime Minister’s Questions to head north to ensure the 307-year union with Scotland remained intact.

With polls over the last few days suggesting the gap between those supporting independence and those wanting to stay together is narrowing, the “Better Together” camp has upped its game in the face of what had once seemed an impossible defeat.

On Monday, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a dramatic intervention in the Scottish independence battle as he set out moves to rush through new powers to Holyrood if next week’s referendum rejects the break-up of the United Kingdom.

Watch below what David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg had to say to the people of Scotland on Wednesday as the “Better Together” campaign attempts to regain some lost ground as Alex Salmond’s nationalist camp grows ever more confident.

Cameron cautioned the Scottish people against voting for independence in the referendum because they want to give the “effing Tories” a kick.

The Prime Minister argued that independence would be an irreversible decision.

He said: "Because it’s an election, because it’s a ballot, I think people can feel a bit like it’s a general election. That you make a decision and five years later you can make another decision. If you’re fed up with the effing Tories give them a kick, and then maybe we will think again. This is totally different."

Miliband sought to appeal to traditional Scottish Labour voters who have started to migrate towards the "Yes" campaign.

He argued that the people of Scotland would be better served under the UK - and a possible future Labour government - that would ensure a more equal and just society. He also appealed to the soul of Scotland because it was "solidarity that built the great institutions like our National Health Service".

Along the same lines as Cameron, the Liberal Democrat leader argued that this was a huge decision for the people of Scotland.

"Nothing could be more important than this. This is a momentous decision, it's a decision forever," Clegg said.

He continued, "One of the things that I think is so remarkable, so wonderful, about the Untied Kingdom and Scotland's place in it is that...Scotland is very different to England, the different bits of the United Kingdom are very different, but we can celebrate those differences without severing the links between those different parts of the United Kingdom."