Salmond calls for Blair to quit

Alex Salmond: "Tony Blair is unfit for office"

The Scottish National Party's Westminster leader, Alex Salmond, has called for the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Mr Salmond said Tony Blair was unfit for office and branded him the "prime minister of mass deception".

In his keynote speech to the SNP conference in Inverness, Mr Salmond defended John Swinney's leadership over the war on Iraq as "courageous and principled".

He also called on the party to back its leader and to quit its in-fighting.

Lies about the weapons of mass destruction. Lies about uranium imports from Niger. Lies about links with al-Qaeda Alex Salmond

Mr Salmond said: "Always look outwards to the public not inwards to the party.

"When you elect a leadership, then back it. Do not undermine it.

"And this above all - fight the unionist parties. Do not fight each other."

After chastising his own party, the former leader turned his attention to the Labour government at Westminster.

He said that they had "led us by the nose" into war with Iraq on the basis of "lies and deception".

"Lies about the weapons of mass destruction. Lies about uranium imports from Niger. Lies about links with al-Qaeda," he said.

"That is why Tony Blair is the prime minister of mass deception.

"That is why he is unfit for office and that is why it is now time for him to go and go quickly."