Katy Balls Katy Balls

How should the Tories respond to an SNP/Labour pact?

John McDonnell has caused a stir over recess with an interview he gave to Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Fringe. The shadow chancellor suggested that Westminster should not decide whether Scotland gets a second independence vote – instead it should be up to the Scottish Parliament. As Stephen writes on Coffee House, this is most definitely not the Scottish Labour line. The comments were also made within 24 hours of Nicola Sturgeon suggesting she’d be willing to work with Labour to ‘lock the Tories out of government’.

So, with a general election now seen as inevitable within the next six months – is the prospect of an SNP/Labour pact an open goal for the Tories? Scottish Tories have been quick to jump on the comments as proof that Scottish Labour is not a unionist party (I’ll be asking

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