Scottish nationalists eye 'enormous clout' in next UK government

LONDON (Reuters) - The Scottish National Party could wield "enormous clout" in the British government after a May 7 national election, party leader Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday, promising to block Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron from returning to power. A surge in support for Sturgeon's SNP, which wants to see Scotland become an independent country in the long term, could hand it the balance of power in parliament after an election in which neither Cameron's Conservatives nor Ed Miliband's Labour Party is expected to win a majority. Speaking in a BBC radio interview, Sturgeon stressed that if the election produced a hung parliament then the country's next leader would have to work with smaller parties to pass new legislation and reflect the will of voters. "Whether that's as apart of a formal deal or on an issue-by-issue basis it gives parties like the SNP enormous clout and enormous influence," Sturgeon said. She reiterated that she wanted to work with Labour to lock Cameron out of power, even if the Conservatives won the most seats at the election. On Sunday, Miliband ruled out a post-election deal with Scottish nationalists. "Ed Miliband can say what he wants right now, he's entitled to do so, but he can't deny reality," Sturgeon said. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)