PRIME Minister Gordon Brown arrived in the Glasgow North East by-election constituency today in an attempt to boost the Labour candidate's campaign.
• Sarah Brown joins her husband on the campaign trail today
Mr Brown gave his backing to Willie Bain, Labour's candidate for the seat of ex-Speaker Michael Martin – now Lord Martin.
Speaking during a visit to North Glasgow College in Flemington Street in the constituency, he said: "We've got a local candidate in Willie Bain, who lives locally, he knows the local problems.
"People know him, they know they can come to him.
"He's taking up the cause, for example the Glasgow rail link, he wants to see that built to the airport – that would mean lots of jobs in the Glasgow area. Unfortunately the SNP is not going ahead with that.
"We're fighting for jobs in this constituency and throughout the whole of Glasgow."
When asked if he decided to visit because he knew Labour would win this by-election, Mr Brown said: "Willie Bain asked me to come, he's a great candidate. He's been fighting a great local campaign.
"I think it's important to say that I'm very proud of what Willie Bain has been doing."
Asked whether he was worried the BNP would do well in the by-election, the Prime Minister said: "I think that when people see that Labour is determined to be on their side fighting for jobs for young people and fighting for jobs generally in this area.
"When people see that we are doing everything we can to get college and university places, to get apprenticeships and to get job opportunities for people who are without jobs and that we want to see more people in employment in this constituency, they will know that it is the Labour Party that is on the side of hard-working families here."
When asked whether the number of people on benefit in the constituency meant that Labour had failed people in the area, Mr Brown said: "I think there are more jobs in the country and more jobs in Glasgow as a result of all the action we have taken.
"And even with this recession right across the country there are still more than two and a half million extra jobs.
"Now where people are out of work, we want to get them back to work as quickly as possible.
"Where people are on incapacity benefit we want them to get the chance to train to get jobs and where there are young people leaving school we actually want to give them the opportunities."
He said Glasgow City Council had set up a "great apprenticeship scheme".
During the visit to North Glasgow College the Prime Minister spoke to several men working on a bricklaying course and a group of six students at computers as well as staff at the college.
During his visit a banner held by a group of men on Flemington Street opposite the building said "End London Rule".
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Last month, the Government formally launched the Glasgow North East by-election to fill the seat vacated in June by Lord Martin.
The writ was moved in the Commons for the contest on November 12 – after a wait of nearly five months.
The four main party candidates are Labour's Willie Bain, 36, a law lecturer; the Liberal Democrats' Eileen Baxendale, 64, a councillor and former social worker; the Tories' Ruth Davidson, 30, a former journalist and the SNP's David Kerr, 36, also a former journalist.
The Scottish Green Party is fielding David Doherty, Tommy Sheridan is standing for Solidarity, John Smeaton is standing as an Independent funded by the Jury Team, and former Big Brother runner-up Mikey Hughes, 35, is standing as an Independent.
Mr Brown was joined by his wife Sarah during his visit today.
Last year she campaigned in Glenrothes and her husband also paid a short visit to the campaign, in a by-election in which Labour went on to hold the seat.
Today, Debbie Stewart, 23, who lives in Balornock in Glasgow and is on a humanities course, was one of the students who met the Prime Minister during his visit to the Glasgow North College.
Asked what it was like to speak to Mr Brown, she said: "It was quite exciting. I'm studying politics for a course so I took a bit of interest in it in the last couple of weeks."
Ms Stewart said she had also met Willie Bain who had called at her house during campaigning last week.
Darren Miller, who is 22 and on a bricklaying course, also spoke to Mr Brown and said: "It was great talking to him."
