THE SNP have accused Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson of “showing her true colours” after her party ruled out working with them but not the Tories.
Swinson said last month that the LibDems needed to work with other parties that support a second referendum on Brexit.
However, as reported in the Sunday National, LibDem whip Alistair Carmichael has confirmed in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live that the party would not be willing to forge a Remain pact with the SNP in Scotland at a General Election.
In an interview with The Herald last month, Swinson refused to rule out a future deal with the Tories, saying “I have not said never in any future scenario.”
The SNP’s work and pensions spokesperson, Neil Gray, said this is proof the LibDems cannot be trusted. The MP said: “The LibDem coalition with the Tories saw the party break its manifesto commitments and vote for a litany of damaging policies, including the bedroom tax, the benefits freeze, the cuts to council tax support, the scrapping of the Education Maintenance Allowance, and the trebling of university tuition fees to £9000 in England.
“Jo Swinson is showing her true colours and proving yet again that the Lib Dems simply cannot be trusted by completely ruling out working with us but keeping the door open to another disastrous coalition with the Tories.
“It seems that the Lib Dems are happy to jump back into bed with the Tory Party but not work with us to ensure that the livelihoods of citizens across the UK are not destroyed by a disastrous Brexit. Millions of people across Scotland and the UK are still suffering the consequences of the damaging cuts made by Jo Swinson and her colleagues. The last time they did a backroom deal with the Tories, they pushed families into poverty and crisis.
“Hated Tory-LibDem policies like the bedroom tax, the cuts to social security, the scrapping of the education maintenance allowance, the raising of VAT, and the trebling of university tuition fees to £9000 a year have caused lasting harm to living standards and driven up inequality. This latest admission makes clear the Lib Dems have learnt nothing from their time in coalition with the Tories – and they would do it all over again.”
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