Ed Miliband was speaking in Scotland this morning, and he was on feisty form when challenged over Salmond’s claim that he will write Labour’s budget:
“There seems to now by an unholy alliance between the Conservative party and the SNP to carry on a Tory government. And, frankly, Alex Salmond is at it again. And it is a combination of bluster and bluff. I gather he’s got a book to sell.
I’ll tell you who’s going to be writing the Labour budget, it’s me and Ed Balls. And it’s not going to be Alex Salmond, not in a million years.”
It’s also worth noting that this is the clearest statement that Miliband has made on Ed Balls’ future – stating that the Shadow Chancellor will be “writing the Labour budget”.
Miliband also used the event to take a swipe at Cameron’s handling of the ongoing Afzal Amin/EDL scandal that has engulfed the Tory Party:
“These are shocking allegations when you have a Conservative candidate saying that he is going to be an ‘unshakeable ally’ of the English Defence League
“There is only one course of action for David Cameron: he should end the dither, end the delay and kick this man out of his party.
“We cannot have these sort of people standing for mainstream parties in British politics.”