Nicola Sturgeon confirms interest in a coalition with Labour as she says Tory governments 'damage Scotland'

Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of paving the way for a “coalition of chaos” between Labour and the SNP after she indicated she would rather see Jeremy Corbyn than Theresa May in Downing Street.

With the polls narrowing, she was asked in separate interviews whether she would prefer Labour or the Tories to win the election next week.

She said she did not want to see a Tory government while adding that she did not think Mr Corbyn was a credible choice as prime minister.

But she also told the BBC that if there was a hung parliament then “of course we would look to be part of a progressive alliance that pursued progressive policies”.

Asked in an earlier interview with Sophy Ridge on Sky News who she would prefer as prime minister, she replied: “I don’t want to see Tory governments and Tory prime ministers, I think they do real damage to Scotland.”

Mrs May has repeatedly warned the choice in the election is between a “strong and stable” Conservative government and a “coalition of chaos”.

The First Minister also claimed that in the event of a Tory victory across the UK and an SNP victory north of the border, Mrs May will perform an about turn on her refusal to grant a second independence referendum as her position will be “unsustainable”.

She said the “reality” of the election, even with the polls narrowing, was that there was going to be a Tory government with a bigger majority.

Recent polls across the UK have shown the Tory lead shrinking, with an ORB poll for the Sunday Telegraph putting support for Labour on 38 per cent, just six points behind the Conservatives.

The Conservatives said she had now conceded she wanted Mr Corbyn as PM. Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the Tory party chairman, said a deal between the SNP and Labour "would mean Jeremy Corbyn propped up by a weak and unstable coalition just days before the Brexit negotiations start - putting at risk the deal we need to get".

He added: "Corbyn and the rest would put up taxes, weaken our defences and increase immigration. And we know he would give into Sturgeon's demand for another independence referendum, because he's 'absolutely fine' with that. In the days of shock election results Jeremy Corbyn could become PM - and the polls are tightening."

Ms Sturgeon also told the BBC’s Andrew Neil Interviews programme that Mrs May’s recent u-turn on her social care plans over the so-called “dementia tax” showed she would do the same on her refusal to back a new independence referendum.

She said: “If the SNP win the election having won the Scottish election last year on the strength of a manifesto commitment that was very clear, and in the interim the Scottish Parliament having backed that, then I think that position of the Prime Minister is unsustainable.”

However, she struggled to say how she would react if Mrs May refused another poll or how Scotland could become part of the Brexit negotiations, after arguing that an SNP win would strengthen her hand in the talks. When told that Scotland was not part of the Brexit talks, she replied: “You know what, we should be.”

Pressed on what she would do if Mrs May refused to back down over a referendum, Ms Sturgeon said: “In politics, positions quickly become unsustainable and we’ve seen in the last few days that this is not a Prime Minister who is very good at holding position when she feels it’s under pressure. She’s a Prime Minister that has seemed to perfect the art of the u-turn.”