David Cameron has pledged to "repair the relationship" between the Scottish and UK governments if he is elected to become the next Prime Minister.

The Tory leader said he would work "tirelessly" for the whole of the UK and condemned Gordon Brown for taking a year to met Alex Salmond during one of the "worst economic crisis in our modern history".

Mr Cameron also criticised both governments for not co-operating during the Lockerbie bomber's release, describing it as "shameful".

Addressing party members at their Scottish conference in Perth on Friday afternoon Mr Cameron said that "would not happen on my watch".

He told delegates: "If elected, one of the first things I will do is come to Scotland and meet with the First Minister. That will signal the beginning of a new relationship, a fresh start, based on mutual respect. It will be good for Scotland, good for Britain and good for the Union."

Mr Cameron added: "But let me make something else clear today. Yes, Alex Salmond and I have big differences. Yes, there’s little he says that I agree with. Yes, I will fight him every inch of the way whenever he tries to break the precious Union between our countries. And no, I won’t be bidding for one of his lunches.

"But if we win that election, then I promise you this: I will be a Prime Minister who works tirelessly for the whole of the UK. We must repair the relationship between the British Government and the Scottish Government."

On the Lockerbie bomber's release, Mr Cameron said: "It’s shameful that during one of the most emotionally-charged moments in our recent history, when the Lockerbie bomber was released from jail to return home to Libya where he still is today, the Scottish Government and British Government refused to cooperate."

On the subject of devolution Mr Cameron said it was natural for the Tories to want the process to work.

He said: "Not just because it is a weapon against the Nationalists' obsession with independence. But because devolution should be central to our whole political approach.
 
"Today we are the party that passionately believes that local is best, the party that knows that the more power people have, the more responsible they become, the more fulfilled they are, we are the party of decentralisation.

"So yes, we do take seriously the Calman Commission’s recommendations to give more powers to Holyrood. The Commission is right to say devolution is working well but could be better. That's why I have committed to producing our own White Paper and legislation to deal with the issues raised by Calman. And I don’t want anyone to doubt this."

Mr Cameron also said whoever wins the next election will be faced with a huge mess and said Labour's mistakes had "left Britain with two great problems".

He said: "But here's the simple truth. Labour’s mistakes have left Britain with two great problems. A broken economy and a broken society. The problem with the economy is immediate and short-term. But the problem with society is more fundamental and long-term.
 
"Sorting out Gordon Brown’s mistakes on the economy will be painful and we will need to get on with it straight away. There will be a high price to pay for Gordon Brown’s spending, borrowing, empire-building. All those quangos, all that bureaucracy, all that waste.

"The cuts that are coming: make no mistake - they are Gordon Brown’s cuts. That is his inheritance to Britain. But we know what has to be done. We have had to sort out Labour’s mess many times before. We will roll our sleeves up, sort it out again and we will get through it. With the Conservatives in charge of the economy, Britain will get back to growth.

Mr Cameron added: "But mending our broken society, in many ways that is going to be harder and it is going to take longer.

"But the values that bind a society together and make it worth living in are more precious than pounds and pence. How we live, how we bring up our children, how we look after our old, how we live together in our cities, towns and villages – how we behave towards each other, this is what defines us as a society and it is how we will be judged."