“I think these are damning revelations” – Miliband responds to claims that Sturgeon wants a Tory government

Ed Miliband is in the North West today where he’ll be telling a rally of 1,000 Labour supporters about plans for a £5 billion housing fund. But after overnight reports claiming that SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon privately said she’d prefer a Tory government, Miliband gave this statement:

“I think these are damning revelations. What it shows is that while in public the SNP are saying they don’t want to see a Conservative government in private they’re actually saying they do want a Conservative government.

“It shows that the answer at this General Election is that if you want the Conservatives out the only answer is to vote Labour for a Labour government.”

Update: And here’s what a Labour spokesperson has just told LabourList:

“No one will ever know for certain what went on between Nicola Sturgeon and the French Ambassador. But what we do know is that the Tories are desperate for the SNP to do well, and the SNP are happy to see another Tory Government.

“The Tories know that the SNP are David Cameron’s last hope of clinging on to power – and the Tories care a lot more about that than they do about the future of the United Kingdom.

“And we know the SNP care more about a second referendum than they do about stopping Tory austerity.

“So forget all the silly scare stories about a Labour-SNP coalition. The truth is that the SNP and the Tories are locked in an unholy alliance.”