Alex Salmond ‘would be zippy in rainbow coalition’

Comments about the former First Minister were made by Scotland Office minister David Mundell. Picture: John Devlin

The Scotland Office minister made the comparison when discussing the coalition scenarios that could face the UK should the Conservatives fail to hold on to power at the general election.

Speaking at the Conservative conference in Edinburgh, Mr Mundell said the May general election was a choice between the Tories or the “chaos” of a Labour-led left wing “rainbow” coalition.

“Let’s face it, Labour and the two Eds are a real and present danger who threaten all this country has achieved,” Mr Mundell said.

“They would plunge us back into the dark days – our worst nightmare. Or so we thought, but just when you thought it was safe to return to the polling booth, enter stage left Alex Salmond, the self-styled puppet master.

“He’ll be pulling the strings of both Nicola Sturgeon and Ed Miliband. And I say stage left because the dangerous economics of socialism are shared by Miliband and Salmond.”

Mr Mundell defended the Conservatives’ record in government claiming that a Labour administration would put Tory progress at risk.

Warning of the dangers of a Labour government propped up by the SNP, Mr Mundell referred to the children’s television show of the 1970s and 80s.

“The choice is stark and clear at what will be the most important general election in a generation.

“It is a choice between competence and chaos, David Cameron or Ed Miliband as prime minister and whether Britain keeps going forward or we turn back and throw away the progress we have made and return to wasteful spending, paid for by borrowing and higher taxes

“A long-term economic plan with us or chaos under Labour and their rainbow coalition, in which, for those you who remember the Rainbow TV show, Alex Salmond is the prime candidate for Zippy and only Balls could be Bungle. Who knows what part Sinn Fein will play?”

SNP MP Stewart Hosie said: “Even the Tories are now acknowledging that a strong team of SNP MPs will be able to exert power at Westminster on behalf of the people of Scotland – standing up for Scottish interests and opposing the obsession with austerity of the Westminster establishment.”

“The Tories are right to be concerned that a strong SNP vote will stand in the way of their damaging agenda – a poll earlier this month showed that people in Scotland are backing the SNP to keep the Tories out of office.”