No deal with Labour on SNP ‘life support’ - Clegg

NICK Clegg has ruled out any post-election deal with a Labour minority government propped up “on a life support system” by the SNP.

The Liberal Democrat leader, in an interview with the Financial Times, also said a coalition with a party that had the second largest number of seats after May 7 would lack “legitimacy”.

Labour has repeatedly ruled out forming a formal coalition with the Scottish nationalists, whose leader Nicola Sturgeon has indicated she would be willing to work in an “anti-Tory majority”.

But Mr Clegg told the paper: “I totally rule out any arrangements with the SNP - in the same way I rule out any arrangements with Ukip - because there is no meeting point for me with one party that basically wants to pull our country to bits and another party that wants us to pull out of the EU.

“I would never recommend to the Liberal Democrats that we help establish a government which is basically on a life support system, where Alex Salmond could pull the plug any time he wants. No, no, no.”

He also said David Cameron’s announcement of an “English votes for English laws” plan suggested the Tories had begun to “panic”.

“Today was the day that David Cameron gave up even pretending that he was going to be prime minister of the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party is as of now an English party ... that is a remarkable insight into the level of panic that is now engulfing the Conservative Party as they chase those Ukip votes in the final stages of this election campaign.”