London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026

Labour will never strike deal with SNP, Keir Starmer to pledge

Labour will never strike deal with SNP, Keir Starmer to pledge

Exclusive: Party leader to rule out talks with nationalists in attempt to spike Tory ‘coalition of chaos’ attacks
Keir Starmer will vow Labour will never deal with the Scottish National party and make it explicit his party would go into minority government rather than enter talks with nationalists, in a new effort to spike Conservative attacks on a “coalition of chaos”.

The Labour leader is expected to ramp up his pledge that the party would give no quarter to the SNP and would not grant an independence referendum, which will form part of his summer campaign.

That position would effectively dare the SNP to vote down a Labour Queen’s speech and bear responsibility for bringing down a Labour prime minister and enabling another Tory administration.

Starmer is likely to offer a procedural guarantee against any deal, including a motion to the party’s conference. That commitment would demonstrate Labour members were onboard with the strategy, sources said.

Senior figures around Starmer have been urging him to make the case in stronger terms to voters, especially those in England. “We must be louder making this argument,” one strategist said.

They argue it would pull the rug from under a key Conservative attack line before it is established, drawing comparisons with how the party leader has dealt with antisemitism and his association with the Jeremy Corbyn years.

The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, will give his own speech to the Fabian Society on Monday taking the same hard line, followed by a series of meetings at shadow cabinet and with MPs to firm up the party’s strategy.

“Keir does not take any persuading to be hardline on this stuff,” one senior ally said. “He implicitly understands what a threat it is not just to the success for the party in Scotland but also how effective those attacks can be in England.”

Arguments that Labour cannot form a majority on current polling and would be dependent on SNP support are likely to form a key plank of the Tories’ attack at the next election – including against the Lib Dems.

Writing in the Daily Mail this week, the former cabinet minister Matt Hancock, who is rumoured to be making an attempt to be the new Conservative party chair, rehearsed the attack line on a Labour deal with Scottish nationalists.

He said: “Almost the only viable alternative to a Conservative government is a coalition between Sir Keir and Nicola Sturgeon’s separatist SNP … the risk of a grubby coalition deal that sells the union down the river.”

Labour MPs in England have become increasingly concerned about the viability of Tory attacks highlighting a potential coalition deal.

The shadow Scottish secretary, Ian Murray, said it was vital voters heard an unequivocal message. “If the SNP want to vote with the Tories to bring down a future Labour government, as they did in 1979 to usher in 18 years of Thatcher, then that would be their choice,” he said.

“The Tories want to run these fake scaremongering campaigns, as they did in ‘15, ‘17 and ’19 because they have a dead duck leader and nothing to offer the people of this country.”

Labour strategists say the party must also hammer home the message to its own supporters about the danger of association – including the idea that the SNP could form any part of a progressive alliance. “There are parts of the party who still think we are on the same side,” one senior Scottish Labour source said.

Sarwar has already taken a hard line on blocking deals with the SNP: before May’s council elections he vetoed Labour coalitions, which forced local leaders to form minority administrations by doing deals with other parties.

That meant Labour lost power in Aberdeen but formed multiple minority administrations including in Edinburgh, East Renfrewshire, and Fife – which has caused internal tensions. In Edinburgh this week, Labour suspended two councillors who refused to vote for a minority deal that gave two committee posts to Tories in return.

Labour MPs have been enthusiastic about Sarwar’s leadership and the Scottish leader will address MPs at a parliamentary Labour party meeting this week. Sources close to Sarwar said it had raised more funding from private donors than the UK party, spending about £1m on last year’s Holyrood elections, and self-financed its election campaign in May by raising £100,000.

Key figures around Starmer acknowledge the Scottish party will take some different policy paths to the UK party, though they are likely to be difficult to navigate through this. Sarwar visited striking workers on picket lines this week, something banned by Starmer for his MPs.

The Scottish party is also keen to take a much more liberal approach to closer relations with the EU – which some in the party believe could cause difficulties with the national approach.

So far there has only been one major clash – an almost farcical row over changing the Scottish party logo to a thistle to which senior figures in Labour HQ objected. The change has forced a convoluted process with the Electoral Commission to alter the official logo.

However, there are likely to be further tensions over Labour’s approach to constitutional reform in the UK, spearheaded by a strategy from Gordon Brown.

That is now expected to be delayed – perhaps even until September. Brown’s interim strategy was presented to the shadow cabinet before Easter but it divided opinion among shadow ministers – some of whom were dissatisfied with how the proposed settlement would affect English regions.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Government Reallocates Twenty-Five Per Cent of International Climate Finance to Global Biodiversity Projects
Initial British Carbon Border Taxes Set to Undercut Parallel European Union Tariffs on Industrial Imports
Whitehall Prepares National Zero-Interest Loan Initiative to Accelerate Domestic Heat Pump and Solar Adoption
European Union Offers British Automakers Access to Hybrid Vehicle Trade Protections Subject to Strict Regulatory Alignment
British Probation Officers Threaten Widespread Industrial Action After Rejecting Five Per Cent Government Pay Offer
Microsoft Abandons Major British Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Citing Severe National Grid Power Constraints
United Kingdom Inflation Accelerates to Three Point Four Per Cent Ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Inaugural Autumn Budget
Surging Cloned Number Plates Severely Complicate Traffic Enforcement and Police Investigations
Mounting Opposition Challenges Planned Rollout of Autonomous Taxis Across London
Influential Think Tank Urges Rejoining European Union to Navigate Geopolitical Crises
Government Review Recommends Slashing Benefits to Fund Youth Employment Initiatives
Senior Minister Shabana Mahmood Seeks New Law Enforcement Pact With European Union
Airbus Executive Warns Britain Risks Losing Crucial Role in European Space Industry
Exorbitant Electricity Costs Push British Steelmakers to Worst Competitive Position in Three Years
British Food and Beverage Exports to European Union Collapse by Over a Third Since Brexit
Up to Twenty English Maternity Units Face Impending Closure Due to Safety and Staffing Crises
Government Declares Severe Drought Across Southern England Following Record Dry Spell
Corporate Profit Warnings Reach Two-Year High Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Costs
International Monetary Fund Warns Chancellor John Healey Against Proposed Bank Tax Raid
Northern Ireland Secures Favorable Agricultural Export Agreement with European Union
Scottish Government Approves Major Offshore Floating Wind Farm Near Aberdeenshire
High Speed Two Rail Project Faces Three Billion Pound Cost Escalation on Initial Phase
National Health Service Warns of Winter Capacity Crisis Across English Hospitals
Tata Steel Confirms Two Thousand Job Cuts at Port Talbot to Fund Green Transition
Global Microchip Developer Announces Three Billion Pound Semiconductor Plant in Cambridge
United Kingdom Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Proposes Mandatory Licensing for Generative Models
United Kingdom Commits Additional Long-Range Weapons and Air Defenses to Ukraine
British Chancellor Overhauls Infrastructure Financing to Bypass Borrowing Constraints
Bank of England Holds Benchmark Interest Rate at Four Point Five Percent
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth Confirms Constitutional Discussions Over Welsh Independence During Initial Bilateral Call with Prime Minister
Labour Party Instructs Local Council Groups to Sever Power-Sharing Accords with Green Party Over New Controversial Policy Positions
Institute for Fiscal Studies Warns of Thirty-Five Billion Pound Fiscal Gap Ahead of Chancellor John Healey Upcoming Autumn Budget
House of Lords Backs Landmark Legislative Amendment to Decriminalize Abortion Across England and Wales
United Kingdom Defence Secretary Wes Streeting Travels to Pentagon for High-Level Strategic Talks Amid Escalating Tensions Over Ukraine and United States Policy Shifts
Bank of England and International Monetary Fund Officials Issue Urgent Warnings Regarding Potential Artificial Intelligence Financial Market Shocks
Reform UK Faces Severe Political Fallout and Scrutiny After Undercover Media Investigations Reveal Systemic Racism Among Candidates
Former Democratic Unionist Party Leader Jeffrey Donaldson Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison Following Landmark Child Sexual Abuse Trial
House of Lords Votes to Amend Schools Bill Implementing Comprehensive Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen Years of Age
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast for Two Thousand Twenty-Six While Warning of Energy-Driven Inflation Pressures
Competition and Markets Authority Launches Formal Inquiry Into Corporate Artificial Intelligence Partnerships
Automotive Industry Leaders Urge Westminster to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Rollout
Home Office Expands Digital Border Security Framework With Mandatory Electronic Travel Authorizations Across United Kingdom
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Final Consensus on Public Sector Pay Reform and Budget Allocations
Welsh First Minister Secures Additional Funding for Rural Agricultural Transition and Sustainable Farming Schemes
Scottish Government Unveils Accelerated Regional Infrastructure Strategy to Boost Clean Energy Manufacturing
National Health Service England Launches Emergency Recruitment Drive to Alleviate Severe Acute Care Winter Backlogs
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Signals Cautious Approach to Interest Rate Reductions Amid Persistent Wage Growth
British Government Finalizes Emergency Energy Support Package to Protect Households From Winter Price Surges
Russell Brand Trial Begins at Southwark Crown Court
UK Parliament to Debate Climate Risks and Council Tax Following Public Petitions
×