Outraged SNP politicians in Edinburgh have said Labour's plan to secure control of the council with Tory votes is "unthinkable", and called for assurances there will be no cooperation "of any kind" between the parties.
Nationalist MSPs and MPs including Angus Robertson and Joanna Cherry wrote to Edinburgh's Labour leader Cllr Cammy Day yesterday after it emerged Labour's plan for a minority administration - that would fall 19 seats shy of the 32 needed for overall control - will be supported by Liberal Democrat councillors when a vote is held on Thursday (May 26).
Although the Tories are yet to make their position clear, backing from at least seven of the nine Conservatives in the Chambers would pass the motion and see the proposed 29-seat SNP-Green coalition defeated.
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In their letter to Cllr Day, the capital's parliamentarians said the SNP's door "remains open" and that the offer for talks should be accepted to "respect the election result".
They added: "While it remains the prerogative of political groups to seek agreement with others to run the Council, as you are aware, it is only possible for Labour to form an administration, as outlined in the press, if it were supported by the Conservative Councillors.
"Put plainly, this is unthinkable. The City of Edinburgh resoundingly rejected the Conservatives in May's elections. The people rejected the Tories because it is led in the UK by a Prime Minister who partied in No. 10 while he told the people of Edinburgh and across the UK that they could not see dying friends and relatives."
The seven Holyrood and Westminster SNP members who signed the letter - Angus Robertson, Ash Regan, Ben Macpherson, Gordon MacDonald, Derdrie Brock, Tommy Shepherd and Joanna Cherry - said any party who works with the Tories "is giving credence and justification to its actions".
"The people of Edinburgh know this," they added. "Labour promised its voters that its councillors would work to tackle the serious cost of living crisis and that it would oppose the harmful policies of the UK Government.
"Very simply, the Labour party cannot do so while it shares any common cause with the Conservative Party. We would be grateful for your assurance that no cooperation of any kind will be sought with the Tories."
Yesterday the Lib Dems confirmed they will vote for Labour to run the council as a minority administration but pledged to "continue as a robust and constructive opposition party".
Lib Dem group chair Cllr Louise Young said: "Where we agree with Labour councillors, we will vote with them. Where we disagree and believe they are taking the wrong approach, we will say so and vote accordingly."
It's understood the Lib Dems and Conservatives will be offered convener and vice-convener positions on 'non political' committees such as the Licensing Board in exchange for support. However, sources say not all in the Labour camp are on board with the deal and some could refuse to back it on Thursday, potentially putting Cllr Day's plans in jeopardy.
Cammy Day was approached for comment.
SNP leader on Edinburgh City Council Adam McVey warned the Conservative and Lib Dem groups they would be "accountable to the people of Edinburgh for what that administration delivers" if they back Labour's plan.
He said: “We want to work constructively together, but our residents also deserve a transparent and accountable council, so they should be told the detail in these deals. People will want to know, for example, if policies around no compulsory redundancies and publicly owned provision of services are being protected by all three parties involved.
“If we are forced into opposition by parties undermining the election outcome, we will use our weight in the chamber to hold all three parties to account for the actions of a Conservative and Liberal Democrat-supported administration, on their policies and on what they deliver for our residents."
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