Labour leader Ed Miliband has struck back against claims that SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon would rather see David Cameron remain as Prime Minister, describing them as ‘damning’.
The claims arise after a UK government memo, detailing a meeting between Sturgeon and French ambassador to the UK, Sylvie Bermann, was leaked to The Telegraph.
Miliband, who is set to appear in his third TV debate in the coming weeks, told Sky News on Saturday that, “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 are actually saying they do want a Conservative government. It shows that the answer at this general election is if you want the Conservatives out, the only answer is to vote Labour for a Labour government.”
Sturgeon has furiously denied these allegations tweeting:
.@simon_telegraph your story is categorically, 100%, untrue…which I'd have told you if you'd asked me at any point today
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) April 3, 2015
Pierre-Alain Coffinier, the French consul-general in Edinburgh, denies reports that he told the Foreign Office that Sturgeon had said she would prefer David Cameron to remain as Prime Minister, rather than see Ed Miliband in Downing Street.
A British civil servant, who seemed surprised at the party leader’s confession, wrote that something might have been lost in translation during the meeting. It was later revealed that the meeting took place in English, as all French officials are fluent in the language.
“[Sturgeon] confessed that she’d rather see David Cameron remain as PM (and didn’t see Ed Miliband as PM material). I have to admit that I’m not sure that the [First Minsters] tongue would be quite so loose on that kind of thing in a meeting like that, so it might well be a case of something being lost in translation.”
This comes after recent polls have the SNP on track to take up to 50 seats from Labour in next month’s general election and Sturgeon’s popularity is on the rise after a well-received performance on this week’s television debate.
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