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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Hamish Morrison

Tories 'set to ditch coalition of chaos' attack line on Labour

THE Tories are reportedly retiring their “coalition of chaos” attack line against Labour.

The Times reported a senior party source as saying it was “not necessarily a line which we’re going to be pushing” in the run-up to next year’s General Election.

Both the SNP and the LibDems are talking up the prospect of a hung parliament after next year’s poll – with experts saying a Labour majority is not a foregone conclusion.



It would be a reversal of nearly a decade of campaigning on those lines from the Conservatives, with CCHQ spinners first wheeling out the image of Ed Miliband in the pocket of Alex Salmond before the 2015 election.

The SNP have said they would work with Keir Starmer if he fails to win a majority – but the Labour leader has ruled out working with Humza Yousaf’s party.

But Starmer refused to be drawn earlier this week when asked if he would make a similar commitment barring a deal with Ed Davey’s LibDems.

The Times reported that Conservative sources felt the prospect of a Starmer-Davey coalition would not “terrify” English voters in the same way a Labour-SNP pact did in previous years.

Despite this, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told The Times tactical voting seen in the recent local elections south of the Border would be “squeezed” in a national ballot – and suggested the “coalition” attack was not out of favour in all parts of the Tory party.



He said: “I think you will see coming into play all these debates, which my party will exploit, of ‘if you vote Labour what are you going to end up with?’”

The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was also targeted with the “coalition of chaos” line in the run-up to the 2017 election, with the Tories talking up the prospect he could be propped up by SNP MPs.

In that election, the Tories secured a pyrrhic victory and were temporarily supported by the DUP, with then-prime minister Theresa May losing her majority in a fatal gamble to hold an early election.  

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