Bank row as Brown visits Glenrothes
The Prime Minister is making his second campaign visit to the Glenrothes by-election, on which bookies have cut the odds against a Labour win.
Ladbrokes now put Labour, previously 5/4, on even money to hold the seat - and have lengthened the SNP's odds from 4/7 to 8/11.
But the visit could be overshadowed by a row over the Lloyds TSB-HBOS bank merger after a prominent financial figure accused Mr Brown and the Chancellor of trying to "railroad" the merger through.
Jim Spowart, who set up Intelligence Finance, said: "A merger with Lloyds TSB is not the best option. And with thousands of jobs in the balance, I implore Mr Brown to think again."
Mr Spowart said he signed an open letter in support of Labour in the 2007 Scottish election.
And he warned: "If a Labour government presides over the decimation of the Scottish banking sector and the virtual disappearance of our oldest bank, it will cause a lot of people to question what the point of the Union is."
Mr Brown's visit comes less than a week after he broke with tradition by campaigning in a by-election for the first time since becoming Prime Minister.
Saturday's visit was in carefully-controlled conditions, taking the form of a 20-minute meeting in a cafe with three couples - a pensioner, a middle-aged couple and a young family.
This visit is expected to be more extensive, with at least two engagements.
The by-election, in which voters go to the polls on Thursday, was caused by the death of Labour MP John MacDougall who had a majority over the SNP of 10,664 at the 2005 Westminster General Election.
