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Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Chris McCall

Anas Sarwar rules out Labour coalition with SNP at Westminster as party 'on course for a majority'

Anas Sarwar has rubbished the prospect of any coalition deal between his party and the SNP after the next general election.

The Scottish Labour leader welcomed local election results in England last week which saw the Conservatives lose a significant number of councillors.

And he said his party was now firmly on course to win a majority of seats at the House of Commons.

"It is absolutely clear that those results demonstrate that we would have a majority Labour government because there weren’t elections in Scotland, Wales and in London," Sarwar said today.

"If you add those results across local government results that you saw in England, with what we expect to happen in Scotland, Wales but also in London, we can deliver that majority Labour government.”

Sarwar dismissed earlier comments from Stephen Flynn who said UK Labour leader Keir Starmer would backtrack on his stance of rejecting a coalition with the SNP in the event of a hung parliament.

Flynn told the BBC that Starmer was "not going to walk away from becoming prime minister simply to deny many of our asks.”

The conditions of a deal with the SNP would include prioritising the cost-of-living in policies and handing Holyrood the powers to hold an independence referendum, he said.

But Sarwar repeated the refusal to work with the party at Westminster. He said: “No ifs, no buts, no deals with the SNP.

“We are going all out to get rid of this rotten Tory Government, all out to get a majority Labour government, and if we fall short of that, the SNP have a clear choice, they can either choose to welcome a Labour government, or allow a Tory government.

“And I dare the SNP to usher in a Tory government and see how Scotland reacts.”

He added: “We are going all out for a majority Labour government and I believe Scotland will help deliver the seats that helps get that majority Labour government.”

Sarwar also accused Flynn of aspiring “to be a replica of Douglas Ross” after he called for tactical voting at the next general election.

Flynn urged Labour and Liberal Democrat voters to vote SNP to block the Tories, while Scottish Tory leader Mr Ross came under fire for suggesting unionist voters should back the party with the best chance of defeating the SNP.

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