The SNP have called on the Chancellor George Osborne to increase spending in real terms when he delivers his budget on Wednesday.

The demand came from the Party's Deputy Leader Stewart Hosie when addressing delegates at the party’s spring conference in Glasgow.

Addressing the 3,000-strong crowd, he said: “George Osborne has a damaging obsession with austerity. And we know his record in the last parliament - on debt, deficit and borrowing has failed, not meeting a single of his own targets.

“I'm calling on George Osborne today, to use this week’s Budget to abandon austerity and take every step to grow the economy.”

Mr Hosie also used his speech to state the Scottish Government’s policy had ensured the country's productivity had risen, while the UK government’s was static.

He said: “Scotland’s productivity is now 4% higher than pre-crisis levels while the UK has flat-lined.

“And why? Because we have supported 100,000 businesses so they pay no, or reduced business rates through the small business bonus; because we have encouraged exports and supported Scottish firms who have delivered a 36% increase in overseas trade, and because we have a joined-up approach to innovation.

“The SNP Scottish Government spends twice as much per head on economic development than the UK government.”

Mr Hosie, who is also the party’s Economy spokesperson, said the SNP had delivered six new innovation centres and £78 million of support.

This, he said, had helped “yet more businesses invent, innovate and work directly with academia”.

He also said the party was “committed to inclusive growth”.

He said: “We reject the UK approach which saw them lose 9% of GDP growth in the 20 years from 1990 due to rising inequality, and that is why the Scottish Government, its agencies and the Scottish NHS pay the real living wage.

“It is why the Scottish Business Pledge helps deliver that yet further- it’s why we scrapped the Bedroom Tax and why we have the Scottish welfare fund.

“The SNP understands it is not enough to simply demand a growing economy to fund our vital public services – we know we must squeeze inequality out of the system to maximise that growth in the first place.”