Former PM known for speaking out on the future of the Union

Gordon Brown is often hailed as the man who saved the Union with his barnstorming speech on the eve of the 2014 independence referendum.

Appearing at a Glasgow Better Together rally, the former prime minister asked Scots to stand firm and continue their support for the shared endeavour that is the United Kingdom.

“We not only fought two world wars together, we built the peace together, we built the health service together, we built the welfare state together, we will build the future together,” he said.

“What we have built together by sacrificing and sharing, let no narrow nationalism split asunder ever.”

Mr Brown, in a speech which has been viewed more than half a million times on YouTube, pointed to the economic uncertainty of independence and accused the SNP of luring people into “a trap”.

“It’s an economic minefield where problems could implode at any time, an economic trapdoor down which we go from which we might never escape,” he warned.

Almost six years on, those words now ring hollow with many as Brexit begins to bite.

The 2016 referendum smashed the promises of 2014. Not only did the result show stark differences between the wants of the four nations of the UK, the English nationalism on show at the heart of the UK Government alienated many Scottish unionists.

Mr Brown’s warnings over division and pleas for unity may therefore be heartfelt, but while the actions of Downing Street continue to alienate many north of the border, anger will only continue to rise.