The First Minister said today that the regions of England would derive great benefit from Scottish independence, with a necessary “reimagining” of the constitution rebalancing power and responsibilities in these islands.

The First Minister continued to make the case for an independent Scotland in the different regions of the UK, travelling to Liverpool to deliver the prestigious Roscoe lecture in front of 1,000 people in the St George’s Hall.

As well as the scene of an enthusiastic response to his defence of the NHS on BBC’s Question Time last April, Mr Salmond returned to the city of William Gladstone, whose speech in Liverpool in 1886 contained the iconic quote – “All the world over, I will back the masses against the classes”.

The First Minister echoed those remarks during today’s Roscoe lecture, indicating that on all of the substantive issues facing the UK today, Westminster was out of touch with the people of England, never mind Scotland.

He said: “All over England I will back the English masses over the Westminster classes. An independent Scotland would be a beacon of social and economic progress, which many English voters may wish to see replicated in their own communities”.

Mr Salmond highlighted health policy as an area that could be decided at a community level, rather than centralised to London, pointing out that the North West Health Authority serves a population far greater than that of Scotland.

Outlining the benefits that Scotland already gains from the devolution of health policy, the First Minister added: “why shouldn’t Merseyside determine the health policy in its own community?”

The First Minister said: “The unpopularity of Westminster leaders in Scotland is largely based on their ham-fisted interventions in the debate on Scotland’s future. Their unpopularity in England is based on their inability, in these tough times, to present a positive vision of the future of England. But it may also reflect something else.

“Gladstone, one of Liverpool’s greatest figures, made a speech in this city in 1886 when he said that, ‘All the world over, I will back the masses against the classes’.

“All England over, I will back the masses against the Westminster classes.

“One reason, in my view, for the current unpopularity of the UK parties is that on issues from health reform to economic recovery, the Westminster classes seem to be out of touch with the masses. And they seem more out of touch the further from Westminster you travel.

Mr Salmond added: “Scottish independence would require a rethinking of the structures of the rest of the UK. It would be for England, Wales and Northern Ireland to decide how this came about, but the end result would surely reflect the needs of the English regions better than the current arrangements.”

Elsewhere in his keynote address, the First Minister said that the current constitutional arrangements were unfair to every country in the UK, and led to unfounded grievances between England and Scotland over issues such as public spending, as well as the voting rights of Scottish MPs at Westminster.

During his address, Mr Salmond said that Scottish independence would end any perceived unfairness, leading to a “reimagining” of the current constitutional arrangements that would “change the centre of gravity” in these islands to the benefit of the English regions.

The First Minister said the sustainable economy of an independent Scotland would offer an example to the remainder of the UK, shifting economic influence north, influencing policy and providing a prosperous trading partner for industry in the north of England and elsewhere.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Independence for Scotland would not just benefit Scotland. It would also be good for the rest of the UK – and those benefits might be felt most clearly in the regions of England.

“Whenever Scotland chooses a distinctive policy approach – for example free prescriptions, or the abolition of tuition fees – some people at Westminster suspect, wrongly, that England is getting a raw financial deal. Such a sentiment is unfounded – Scotland more than pays its way in the union.

“Independence for Scotland would end the sense of grievance – on both sides - which can sometimes affect the relationship between Scotland and the rest of the UK. Neither Scotland nor England could consider themselves ‘short-changed’ in financial matters, and policy in England would not be determined by the representatives of Scottish constituencies.

“That, surely, is a better basis for a strong and equal friendship than the status quo.”