Starmer rules out deal with SNP but refuses to confirm stance on Lib Dems

Keir Starmer has refused to say whether or not Labour would strike a deal with the Liberal Democrats at the next election, while again explicitly ruling out any agreement with the Scottish National Party.

In an interview with Sky News’ Beth Rigby today, the Labour leader repeatedly refused to confirm whether Labour would enter into a deal with the Lib Dems, despite having said last year he was “ruling out any arrangement”.

On whether Lib Dem leader Ed Davey was a man he “could do business with”, Starmer said: “I’m often asked, you know, will you do a deal with the SNP, and I’ve been absolutely clear, there are no terms on which we would do a deal with the SNP. I want to push on to a Labour majority.”

Asked in a follow-up question where Labour currently stands on a deal with the Lib Dems, Starmer said he was “not answering hypotheticals” and reiterated that his party is “aiming for a Labour majority”.

Pressed on whether he has ruled out a deal with Davey’s party, Starmer told Rigby: “As you know, with the SNP, it’s a fundamental difference, I do not believe in the break-up and separation of the United Kingdom, I do not believe that our future will be better off if we put a border between Scotland and England.”

Speculation over a potential hung parliament has shot up the political agenda after separate analyses of last week’s local election results by the BBC, Sky and the Sunday Times pointed to Labour becoming the largest party but falling short of an overall majority at a general election.

The BBC’s analysis, published on Friday, concluded that Labour would win 312 seats if the results were replicated at a general election, 14 seats short of the 326 needed for an overall majority.

The BBC’s projection included 72 independent seats – something highly unlikely to translate from local to general elections. The broadcaster also predicted 40 Lib Dem MPs and 226 Conservatives.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday that Labour is “not even entertaining” the prospect of a coalition with the Lib Dems, adding: “I just don’t think that’s the scenario we’re going to be in after the next general election.”

Fellow frontbencher Peter Kyle told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme over the weekend that Labour is “going to win outright” and will not need to go into coalition.

The Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary said: “All the extrapolations people are making from the local elections include a status quo in Scotland; we know the status quo in Scotland is not going to be the result that comes out in a general election.”

Asked in July last year whether he had ruled out a coalition with the Lib Dems, Starmer said: “Yes, ruled out a coalition with anyone. We want a Labour majority.”

Pressed on whether he had also ruled out a supply-and-confidence arrangement – which would see a minority Labour government receive support from the Lib Dems on major votes – the Labour leader said: “I’m ruling out any arrangement.”

Davey declined to rule out the prospect of a Labour coalition over the weekend, as he has done for a Conservative coalition, telling the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that it was a “hypothetical question” and that “we don’t know what’s going to happen after the election”.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn claimed in an interview with BBC Radio Scotland earlier today that Starmer would work with the SNP despite his comments.

“Keir Starmer, who has broken many of his pledges not just to the Labour Party but to the wider British public, in order to try and become Prime Minister, he’s not going to walk away from becoming Prime Minister simply to deny many of our asks,” the MP for Aberdeen South argued.