SNP rattled after Labour capitalises on anti-Tory fears

Published on Wednesday 13 April 2011 18:36

ALEX Salmond will today seek to haul voters' attention away from events at Westminster and on to their choice in the Holyrood election, amid warnings within the SNP that Labour's claim to be Scotland's anti-Tory party of choice could puncture his hopes of a second term in office.

The First Minister will publish the Nationalists' manifesto for the next parliament in Glasgow, where SNP campaigners say there is evidence Labour's claim to be the "best line of defence" against the Tory administration at Westminster is bringing its traditional vote back into the fold.

With SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon among those vulnerable to a swing to Labour in the city, Mr Salmond is expected to use the crucial launch of the party's manifesto to urge voters to focus on the contest at Holyrood, and not to use their vote to protest against the Conservative-led government in London.

Key SNP commitments to be confirmed include pledges to hold a referendum on Scottish independence, to freeze the council tax and maintain spending on universal services by making further efficiency savings to government spending.

A poll of polls, gathering data from all recent surveys, suggests Labour is heading for a narrow victory over the SNP next month.

Yesterday, Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray continued to ram home his party's key election message that "now that the Tories are back", voters should look to his party for protection.

Mr Salmond will seek to focus on to the increasingly polarised, two-horse race between the SNP and Labour, with polls suggesting both parties are likely to see their share of seats increase.

A close aide said last night: "The thread running through everything we will say is that this is a Scottish election. This is about electing a Scottish government, and that is the choice that people are facing."

To reinforce the message, and counter Labour's strategy, SNP election leaflets this week have begun to tell voters specifically that the 5 May election "will not change the government in London". That follows claims by Labour that a victory for Mr Gray would destabilise the Tory-Lib Dem coalition at Westminster.

SNP campaigners in traditional Labour areas are now warning that Mr Gray's focus on the Tory-led government is showing signs of gaining traction in some parts of the country, including Glasgow.

One said: "It is a formidable message. People may say it's ridiculous to be campaigning against the Tories in a Scottish election, but there is so much hatred towards the Conservatives still in places like Glasgow.

"What Labour is offering is a kind of nostalgic return to the politics of the 80s and 90s."

Another senior source said: "It's working, but the thing we hope is that it's going to have a shelf life by the time the election comes round and people realise that this is between us and Labour, and not Labour and the Tories."

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The SNP played down the significance of the manifesto launch being in Glasgow, but the decision to hold it in Ms Sturgeon's backyard is a sign the party sees the need to bolster her campaign in the new Glasgow Southside seat.

She announced last night that a second SNP government would build a new National Football Academy, as part of a 50 million "Young Scots Fund".

In addition, the SNP plans to fund a new National Centre for Scotland's Youth Companies, also to be based in Glasgow.

Ms Sturgeon said: "This is a manifesto brimming with exciting and innovative policies to take Scotland forward, such as our Young Scots Fund, and which we are confident will help re-elect an SNP government working for Scotland."

On managing cutbacks, Mr Salmond is likely to argue today that tough efficiencies in the public sector, and further pay restraint measures, will ensure that "free" policies, including a guarantee of no tuition fees, can be continued.

The SNP says it will provide cash to abolish prescription charges and to fund a council tax freeze.

Its plans for a local income tax, however, are set to be postponed until after the election after next in 2015.

On the campaign trail yesterday, Mr Salmond reinforced the SNP's support for small businesses, saying a second-term SNP administration would continue its policy of either scrapping or cutting business rates for small and medium-sized companies.

He said: "Small businesses are the lifeblood of the Scottish economy and they have a huge role to play in our continued recovery."

However, he came under attack from Labour after using a hustings meeting on Tuesday to criticise Mr Gray's claim to be able to create 250,000 jobs.

The SNP leader said economic recovery would not be imposed "by diktat", saying it was government's job to "identify sectors and the marketplaces which will allow businesses to generate these jobs".

In response, Mr Gray said: "It is astonishing at a time when people are worried about their jobs that Alex Salmond is telling them that it is not the government's job to set targets for creating job opportunities.

"This shows a remarkable lack of ambition from the SNP and reveals his true colours. Governments can make a difference - but obviously Alex Salmond doesn't believe so. That's why he has to go."

The poll of polls, compiled by public affairs firm Weber Shand-wick, concludes that Labour is on course to come out on top with 57 seats, 11 more than in 2007. The SNP would take 51, up four, with the Conservatives on 13 and the Liberal Democrats cut to only five seats.

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• Follow our election coverage on Twitter and FacebookIt calculated the figures using an average of the five most recent opinion polls. Managing director Moray Macdonald said: "This is undoubtedly going to be a tight race to see who is the biggest party, but if the SNP is to remain in power, they need to do significantly better on the regional vote.

"What does seem to be clear is that this election is much more polarised between two parties than ever before, and that is not good news for the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives or Greens."