Alex Salmond has stepped up the pressure on Labour leader Ed Miliband with a fresh warning that he will find it difficult to avoid doing some form of deal with the Scottish nationalists in the event of another hung parliament.
The former SNP leader – who is bidding to return to Westminster – said all parties would have to face up to the “electorate’s judgment” after polling day on May 7.
He said Mr Miliband had been “foolish” to rule out a coalition with the SNP – even though it was not really on the cards – and suggested that he reacted because he was “under pressure from the Conservative press”.
If the election resulted in a hung parliament with neither of the main parties able to form a majority government, Mr Salmond predicted the “most likely” outcome was an agreement by the SNP to support Labour on a vote-by-vote basis.
“I think that after the election every Westminster politician will have to come and face the reality of the electorate’s judgment,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“There is no disrespect or disgrace in any politician coming to terms with the democratically expressed position of the electorate.
“All politicians, those of us who are lucky enough to be elected, chosen by the people, will try to do their best as they see it in the interests of the people who elected them.”
His comments came after SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon warned Mr Miliband in Thursday night’s TV debate that he would not be forgiven if he allowed David Cameron back into Downing Street because he was unwilling to do a deal with the SNP.
Labour has been at pains to insist that it will not need SNP votes to govern – rejecting Conservative claims that Mr Miliband would be a prisoner of the nationalists if he entered No 10.
Mr Salmond also made clear that SNP MPs at Westminster would be prepared to vote on England-only issues – such as health and education where power has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament – if they impact on Scotland.
“The vast majority of votes have an economic impact,” he said.
“When I was a Member of Parliament before I voted against foundation hospitals in England because I thought it would lead to the fragmentation of the health service and then have effects in Scotland. I voted against tuition fees for English students in England.
“It is not English-only legislation, if it has an economic impact it has an impact on Scotland.”
He indicated that the SNP could use their votes to try to change the Budget of the next government.
“I don’t think there is a single Member of Parliament or a single political party who wouldn’t wish to be in a position and have an effect and influence for the betterment of their own constituents and, indeed, the betterment of politics across these islands,” he said.
Earlier, with the polls still suggesting the two main parties remain deadlocked, Conservative Chief Whip Michael Gove insisted that the Tories would not do a deal with Ukip.
Pressed in an interview with The Daily Telegraph on whether the Conservatives could make agreements with Ukip on a vote-by-vote basis, Mr Gove said: “No, no, no. There won’t be. Firstly, I don’t think there will be many Ukip MPs – if any – after the election.
“I can’t influence how other parties choose to vote. So in this Parliament, we’ve had in the final months two Ukip MPs, and sometimes they’ve voted with the Conservatives and sometimes against.
“But we’re not going into talks with them, no. I’ll be perfectly civil with any Member of Parliament from any party after the next General Election and if they want to vote for Conservative policies, then great. But we’re not going to get into bed with them, no.”