Alex Salmond claimed his party can force Westminster "to dance to a Scottish jig" as he set a target of winning 14 more Commons seats and holding the balance of power.

Such a result would give the party 20 seats in the Commons out of the Scottish total of 59. The SNP leader, speaking yesterday on the final day of the party's conference in Edinburgh, believes a close Commons result between Labour and the Conservatives would give smaller parties the power to decide which forms the government, and suggested the SNP could be the power- broker instead of the LibDems.

The party leadership is ruling out formal coalition with either of those UK parties, but Mr Salmond hopes a hung parliament would give him leverage to gain concessions for Scotland. He said this would be one solution to recent "unreasonable behaviour" from the Labour government at Westminster, such as withholding council tax benefit and trying to block local taxation reform.

"I am charging the party to build a Scottish block of at least 20 MPs in the Westminster Parliament, ready, willing and able to defend our parliament and our people," the First Minister said.

"If we achieve that then all the Westminster noes' will suddenly become yesses'. We can make Westminster dance to a Scottish jig."

Meanwhile, Labour leader of Glasgow City Council Stephen Purcell said his party should accept independence as a "legitimate part of the debate" about Scotland's future.