Labour will try to form a minority government and rely on SNP votes to implement its policies in the event of a hung parliament, it said yesterday.
Although the party insisted that it would strike “no deals” with the Scottish Nationalists or others, it said that it would challenge them to help Labour or face explaining to their supporters why they were letting the Tories back into government.
After weeks of refusing to discuss its stance if there is an inconclusive result next Thursday, Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, committed Labour to a minority government. She spoke as the prospect of a hung parliament grew more feasible, with polls showing the party gaining ground on the Conservatives.
Two YouGov surveys suggested that Labour was on course to win seats in London and Wales. A national Panelbase poll, which previously showed the largest lead for Theresa May, cut her advantage to 8 points from 15 last week. YouGov had Labour 17 points ahead in London and on course to win four extra seats in what would be their best performance in the capital since 1997.
“If we end up in a position where we are in a minority, we will go ahead and put forward a Queen’s Speech and a budget,” Ms Thornberry said. “If people want to vote for it, then good. If they don’t want to vote for it, they are going to have to go back and speak to their constituents and explain to them why it is that we have a Tory government instead. If we are the largest party we go ahead — no deals — with our manifesto, our budget and our Queen’s Speech.”
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While Ms Thornberry’s statement was designed to stymie Tory claims of a “coalition of chaos”, it will invite further questions as to how the party would behave without an outright majority.
Previous minority governments have survived by conducting vote-by-vote negotiations with other parties to implement policies. The claim that Labour would avoid negotiations with others as it sought to implement its manifesto without an absolute majority is likely to be tested in the days ahead.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has said that he would “open discussions” with the SNP on a second Scottish independence referendum if elected prime minister, although he suggested that he would ask for a delay until after the Brexit negotiations.
The Tories leapt on Ms Thornberry’s remarks. “The truth is out: Jeremy Corbyn will invite the other parties to prop him up as prime minister if there is a hung parliament on June 9,” Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the Conservative Party chairman, said. “Brexit negotiations start 11 days after you vote but instead of focusing on those negotiations, Corbyn would be busy haggling with Nicola Sturgeon and the Lib Dems. That will cause chaos.” The narrowing of the polls has placed attention on the parties’ stance on power-sharing, risking a repeat for Labour of Tory claims in the 2015 that it was willing to be “propped up” by opposition parties.
Mr Corbyn appeared to leave the door open to a post-election deal in an interview on Wednesday, deferring the question until after polling day. He declined an invitation to spell out his principles in the event of a hung parliament, including whether he would urge Sinn Fein to take up their four Westminster seats to deny Mrs May power.
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The SNP holds 54 seats while the Lib Dems have 9, the Democrat Unionists 8, Plaid Cymru and the Social Democratic & Labour Party 3 each, and the Ulster Unionist Party 2.
Allies of Mrs May believe she can win a majority of at least 80. Analysis by The Times bears out the internal belief that Labour seats with large majorities are vulnerable in areas which saw large Ukip votes.