FEARS of a coalition between Labour and the Lib Dems intensified today as both parties left the door open to a pact.
Allies of Sir Keir Starmer even refused to rule out radical changes to the voting system if that is what it took to make him PM.
Sir Keir Starmer speaking after Thursday’s local elections
Sir Ed Davey said the Lib Dems had a great night at the local elections
Analysis of last week’s local elections show Britain is on course for a hung Parliament at the next general election with Labour falling short of a majority.
SNP leaders have already boasted they could “pull the strings” of a weakened Westminster government if Sir Keir needed the numbers.
And today Lib Dem boss Sir Ed Davey hinted he could get into bed with the Labour chief.
While dismissing the prospect as a “hypothetical question”, he told the BBC: “The focus is on getting rid of Conservative MPs. I make no apology for that.”
Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting also failed to extinguish the idea of teaming up with the Lib Dems.
Challenged on Sky he did not squash speculation directly, but said: “We’re not even entertaining that prospect. I just don’t think that is the scenario that we are going to be in after the next general election.”
He was confident Labour will bag a majority next year, although warned against “complacency”.
Asked if Sir Keir would cave into Sir Ed’s key demand for Proportional Representation, Mr Streeting simply said: “We’re not even entertaining that prospect… I just don’t think that is the scenario that we are going to be in after the next general election.”
David Cameron gave Nick Clegg a referendum to abolish First Past The Post – which was rejected – as an incentive to join in coalition in 2010
Conservatives seized on the remarks as evidence of a looming Lab-Lib post-election deal.
Tory deputy Lee Anderson said: “The only way they that Sir Slippery can find his way into No10 is by breaking all his promises, once again, and enter a coalition with Sir Ed Davey.
“After months of backdoor dealings and electoral pacts it’s clear that the two Knights of Brussels are moving towards a dirty deal to drag the UK back into the EU.”
New projections show Sir Keir is on track for 298 seats at the next general election, short of the 326 needed for an outright majority.
Bad local election results for Rishi Sunak means his seats are set to tumble from 365 to just 238.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said this morning: “I totally understand that we need to do better and I think we are going to deliver.”
She insisted: ”The Prime Minister is starting to deliver, in a quiet way, for the British people.”
The national vote share following the local elections
