HIGH-RANKING Labour politicians have urged the people of Inverclyde to vote no in the independence referendum — to protect Scotland’s 12,000-plus defence jobs.

Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker — who delivered a speech at Greenock’s Beacon yesterday — also reinforced a pledge to deliver more powers to Holyrood as part of a ‘devolution-max’ package.

Mr Coaker was in Inverclyde with shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran for a Better Together campaign event.

He told the Telegraph: “There are 12,500 jobs in Scotland directly related to defence.

“The independence referendum brings risk and uncertainty to them, including many of them on the Clyde.” Mr Coaker, MP for Gedling in Nottinghamshire, added: “I care as an English person about Scotland.

“Obviously the referendum is a matter for the Scottish people but they need to know that English people do care.

“The opportunity to look at the devo-max proposal we in the Labour Party are putting forward is important.

“We think it’s important for Scotland to have more powers but also remain part of the UK on important matters such as defence.” Asked if an idea from a member of the 70-strong Beacon audience for the Better Together parties to speak with one voice on more powers for the Scottish Parliament would be taken forward, Mr Coaker said he would ‘mention’ it to campaign leader Alistair Darling.

He said: “It is certainly an idea which gained a lot of support.” Yesterday’s event championed the slogan of ‘Strength, Stability and Security’ within the UK.

Mrs Curran said: “The Better Together campaign is very focused on the one thing that we do agree on, which is a no vote on the 18th of September.

“We have said what the powers for Scotland will be and we have gone further and said they will be set out in Labour’s manifesto, and Ed Miliband has said that when he is Prime Minister they will be implemented.

“So that is a guarantee to the Scottish people.

“We are the party of devolution, committed to devolution and you can trust us on devolution.”