Cameron warns Labour-SNP government would be 'very frightening'

David Cameron has stepped up his rhetoric against the Scottish National party, warning that a Labour government propped up by Nicola Sturgeon's party would be a "very, very frightening prospect".

The Tory leader used one of his biggest television appearances before the general election to tell English voters that the nationalists would seek to divert money from road-building and hospital projects south of the border.

"They would not be coming to Westminster to help our country. They are coming to Westminster to break up our country," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday.

"This would be the first time in our history that a group of nationalists from one part of our country would be involved in altering the direction of the government of our country and I think that is a frightening prospect."

Mr Cameron suggested the rest of the country would not get a "look in" when it came to government decisions.

With polls pointing to a hung parliament after the election on May 7, the Tory leader once again refused to rule out cutting a deal with the UK Independence party. "We're not planning to do deals with anyone . . . it looks like Ukip will be lucky if it has one seat."

Ed Balls, shadow chancellor, hardened Labour's line on potential post-election negotiations as he said that "unambiguously" the party would not do a deal of any kind with the SNP.

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Mr Balls' words are a firm indication that his party would rather govern without the SNP, in effect daring the Scots not to vote down Labour's proposals. In those circumstances there would be a "100 per cent firewall" between the Treasury and the SNP, he told Sky News.

The polls indicate that Labour faces the loss of about 30 seats in Scotland to the SNP, including Jim Murphy, the party's leader north of the border. That would make it much harder to form a government, even with the Liberal Democrats, making the SNP's goodwill potentially crucial.

Speaking on Sunday Politics, Angela Eagle, shadow leader of the Commons, admitted that Labour leader Ed Miliband could talk to the SNP after the election.

"See what the numbers are . . . we'll speak to any party that has got representation in the House of Commons in order to try and build a majority."

Ms Sturgeon said on Sunday her party would be in a "very, very strong and powerful position" if Mr Miliband was prime minister.

She said her party's influence would not be limited to a Labour government's Queen's Speech but instead could be exerted over the lifetime of a parliament.

The Fixed-term Parliaments Act meant it was possible to "change the direction of a government on individual issues without bringing that government down," she said: "That puts a party like the SNP, if we have that influence, into a very, very strong and powerful position."

Ms Sturgeon told the Marr show that Scotland would definitely become independent one day and refused to rule out a second referendum on the issue. "As long as Scotland remains part of the Westminster system, it matters to people that we get good decisions out of that system, and I want the SNP to play a positive part in improving politics at Westminster for people right across the UK."

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