David Cameron has made an impassioned plea to Scotland saying: "We desperately want you to stay."

The British Prime Minister, writing in the UK's Daily Mail, said the rest of the world "looks on with awe and envy" at modern British achievements like the NHS and state pension system.

He told Scottish voters that independence is a "leap into the dark" and that if they choose to split then there is no going back.

Mr Cameron's message comes as he prepares to travel to Scotland to hit the campaign trail along with Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also heading north of the border.

While all three leaders will all be in the country, they will not campaign together and will have separate schedules.

Mr Cameron wrote: "The United Kingdom is a precious and special country. That is what is at stake. So let no-one in Scotland be in any doubt: we desperately want you to stay; we do not want this family of nations to be ripped apart.

"Across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, our fear over what we stand to lose is matched only by our passion for what can be achieved if we stay together."

The three party leaders decided to head north instead of staying in London for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions after polls showed the Yes campaign had effectively drawn level after trailing by 22 points at one point.