Scots should have pension age exemption as they die earlier, says SNP

Scotland must be exempted from increases to the old-age pension age because Scots die earlier, the Scottish National Party will today declare when it publishes its manifesto for the Westminster general election.

Described as "a UK-wide manifesto", the document will seek to take advantage of the popularity won by Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, following a number of strong TV debate performances.

Demanding a reversal of welfare and spending cuts, the SNP – set for major gains against Labour in Scotland in the May 7th election – is proposing nearly £200 billion worth of extra borrowing.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former SNP leader Alex Salmond said the SNP had received "thousands of applications from people in England who want to join the SNP" following Ms Sturgeon's TV performances.

English audiences “seemed quite enamoured by the prospect of Nicola Sturgeon’s politics having an influence in the House of Commons”, he said, adding: “People of England don’t think like Westminster politicians.”

The manifesto will see the SNP push for stronger infrastructure spending in the north of England, which has feared that it will lose out if it ends up squeezed between Scotland’s ever-greater self-government and Whitehall’s dead hand.

The arrival of dozens of new SNP MPs in the House of Commons would help to “rebalance the UK – both politically and economically – from the chronic overdominance of the City of London, which has harmed the overall UK economy and left regions of England neglected”, it said.