McDonnell underlines ‘no pacts’ with SNP

Labour’s John McDonnell has reiterated there will be “no deals” with the SNP in the event of the party forming a minority government after Thursday’s vote.

The shadow chancellor said a Labour government will focus on implementing its manifesto and other parties would have to determine which policies they will back.

Mr McDonnell was speaking ahead of a Labour rally in Glasgow on Saturday where he told activists he expected Jeremy Corbyn to be walking into Number 10 at the end of the week.

He said: “There will be no deals between Labour and the SNP, no pacts or anything like that, we believe we can have a majority Labour government if people vote Labour.

“If we are a minority, there will be no deals but what we will do is implement our manifesto and others will have to determine what elements of that they’ll support.

“If there’s parties that won’t support our manifesto, we’ll go back to the people.”

He added: “The key issue for us is we have to address the priorities that have been set out on the doorstep for us by Scottish people.

“It’s all about bread and butter issues, it’s all about housing, about low pay, about insecure work.”

Nicola Sturgeon has previously laid out a list of demands she says would have to be met for the SNP to support a minority Labour government, including scrapping Trident and granting a second independence vote.

Mr McDonnell has said it could be “two or three years” before a Corbyn administration would give the go-ahead for Scotland to have another referendum.

At the rally, Mr McDonnell told supporters that the next five days are “probably the most important days of our lives”.

He said: “On Thursday we’re going to realise a dream, a dream of a Labour government with a socialist programme.

“I want to be there when Jeremy Corbyn turns up on his bike to Downing Street, takes off his bicycle clips, his cat under his arm, and walks into Number 10.

“Won’t the establishment be quaking.”