Tory chief whip Michael Gove has suggested that his party could make major gains in Scotland next week.
The Aberdeen-raised politician claimed the Conservatives – who had just one MP north of the border in the last parliament – could win Scottish seats from “every other party”.
The Tories privately believe they have a chance of winning West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, previously held by Liberal Democrat Sir Robert Smith, as well as Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, the seat of former Scottish secretary Michael Moore.
Mr Gove, an influential party strategist, was speaking as Conservative activists posed in SNP T-shirts and Nicola Surgeon masks in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament.
The former education secretary denied the event was a negative campaigning stunt, but refused to be photographed with the 50 or so strong group on the grounds that it would dilute the message.
He said: “This is not a negative stunt. This is a vivid, visual metaphor of the chaos that would ensue if we have a weak prime minister at the head of a minority Labour government held hostage by the SNP.”
He declined to say which seats his party would win, but said: “It would be wrong of me to alert the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and Labour to our highly effective ground operation.
“I won’t predict anything more, other than to say if people follow their hearts and vote Conservative in Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, we can pick up and win seats from every other party.”
He was also asked how the Tories could trust the Liberal Democrats again after Danny Alexander’s decision to reveal proposals discussed under the coalition for £8 billion cuts to child benefit, which he suggested gave an indication of Tory plans after the May 7.
Mr Gove replied: “I don’t think it took yesterday’s leak to make us aware of what the Liberal Democrats are really like, but we are prepared always to put aside any concerns about Liberal Democrat behaviour to work with them in the national interest.
“But we don’t need to worry about that if we do get what I believe we will get, which is a majority Conservative government.”