Hung Parliament: Alex Salmond says Liberal Democrat-Labour deal 'best for Scotland'

Published on Sunday 9 May 2010 22:51

A COALITION between Labour and the Liberal Democrats would be the best option for Scotland, enabling the SNP to extract key concessions, Alex Salmond said yesterday.

The SNP leader has proposed a "rainbow alliance" of Labour, SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs banding together with the Lib Dems to command a parliamentary majority and keep the Tories from power.

Despite acknowledging that a Tory-Lib Dem alliance was the most likely option, Mr Salmond warned that it "shouldn't be seen as the only game in town".

His comments came as a delegation of SNP figures travelled south to London to meet senior civil servants as part of the arrangements drawn up by Gordon Brown to help support the coalition negotiations.

Angus Robertson and Stewart Hosie attended a meeting in Whitehall to discuss what support they can expect from civil servants while conducting negotiations with other parties.

Meanwhile, the First Minister, speaking from Aberdeenshire, said the SNP was in agreement with the Lib Dems on their opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear missile system.

Mr Salmond said: "There's a range of things that perhaps could be an attractive programme, which certainly we would be able to talk about and look at to see if it could be supported.

"The Lib Dems shouldn't be pushed into seeing the Conservative arrangement as the only possible outcome of these talks. It is quite clear that the Labour party lost the election, but it's also the case that the Conservatives didn't win the election."

Mr Salmond said that if other parties supported the coalition, over a period of time "we could make great gains for the country". He added: "I believe that would be able to do more if there was an alternative position put forward, if there was a Liberal-Labour coalition."

Speaking after the meeting in London, Mr Robertson said: "It is becoming increasingly clear that a progressive alternative to a Conservative-led government exists at Westminster.

"The SNP stands ready to work with all parties for democratic change including proportional representation and a functioning UK parliament which serves the people."