Ed Balls says SNP coalition ‘not part of our plan’ but refuses to rule it out
ByThe Courier Reporter
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls soldering a part of an aircraft with Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy (right) during a visit to Walker Precision Engineering in Glasgow.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has said a coalition with the SNP at Westminster is not part of Labour’s plan, but he stopped short of completely ruling out the prospect of a post-election deal with the nationalists.
Mr Balls insisted the General Election presented voters with a straight choice between the “continued austerity” of the Conservatives’ plan or Labour’s economic strategy.
He dismissed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s calls for an extra £180 billion of Government spending over the next five years as “not an issue” because the SNP would not be in a position to implement economic policy at Westminster.
He said he understood the SNP had already ruled out a coalition with Labour, adding: “It is not part of our plan. It is not what we want.”
Pressed repeatedly on whether or not Labour would rule out a post-election deal with the SNP unequivocally, Mr Balls refused to be drawn.
Ed Balls says SNP coalition ‘not part of our plan’ but refuses to rule it out
