This afternoon, speaking to journalists following PMQs, the Prime
Minister’s Press Secretary refused to rule out a desperate deal
with the Scottish Nationalist Party in order to cling onto power.
This puts them in stark contrast with the Labour Party who, with
and , have repeatedly refused to
consider entering into any political arrangement with the SNP
Any deal with the SNP would almost certainly involve the Tories
negotiating over the constitution and independence, and risk the
union.
This would be the second time that the Tories and SNP have worked
together. In 2007, Alex Salmond’s SNP Government were
consistently supported by the Conservatives, who voted through
every single one of their budgets.
, Labour’s Shadow Scotland Secretary said:
“Rishi Sunak’s refusal to rule out a grubby deal with the SNP is
a sign of his desperation to cling to power. A repeat of the
Tory-Nat coalition previously seen in Scotland would wreck the
UK, putting the very foundations of our country at risk.
“Under and Anas Sarwar’s leadership,
Labour has said repeatedly we wouldn’t do any deal with those who
want to break up our country. The Tories must now urgently follow
Labour’s example.”
Ends
Notes
Sunak’s Press Secretary speaking at huddle:
https://twitter.com/kevinaschofield/status/1656268204665188356?s=61&t=7QHLA2UN-t1kYFyaEvpS8Q
https://twitter.com/johnestevens/status/1656268303298437122?s=61&t=7QHLA2UN-t1kYFyaEvpS8Q
Examples of Labour ruling out a deal with the Scottish
Nationalist Party:
MP, Leader of the Labour
Party, speaking to Andrew Marr on LBC in 2022,
said:
"I want to be the Prime Minister of the whole of the United
Kingdom. I want a Labour government for the whole of the United
Kingdom.
"There's no basis for an alliance with a party that wants to
break up the United Kingdom.
Ends
Leader of the Scottish Labour
Party, speaking yesterday [TUESDAY] at Glasgow
Airport, said:
“No ifs, no buts, no deals with the SNP.”
Ends
Further examples:
has consistently ruled out any
and all deals with the SNP, and yesterday did so again.
rules out Labour coalition with
SNP at Westminster as party 'on course for a majority'
9th May, 2023
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/anas-sarwar-rules-out-labour-29934512
UK's Labour rules out pact with Scottish independence party at
next election
July 4, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uks-labour-rules-out-pact-with-scottish-independence-party-next-election-2022-07-04/
Labour will never strike deal with SNP, to pledge
July 1, 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/01/labour-never-strike-deal-snp-keir-starmer-pledge
Labour will not do post-election deal with SNP, says Scottish
leader
4 July, 2022
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-62038586
