Saturday, 4 April 2015

Leaked memo claims SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon wants David Cameron as PM

LONDON: A day after Nicola Sturgeon emerged as the surprise winner of Britain's first ever televised pre-election debate with seven top party leaders slugging away on one single stage, the SNP leader and Scotland's first minister has found herself in a boiling controversy.

A memo leaked from Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office claims that Sturgeon told French ambassador to the UK that she actually wanted Conservative Party leader David Cameron to win the upcoming general election instead of Labour leader Ed Miliband.


The memo has sent shock waves across Britain as SNP is known to be going into elections as Labour's strongest ally.


Miliband called the memo "damning" as Sturgeon called it "100% not true".


SNP on Saturday reasserted that it would side with Labour and ensure Cameron does not re-enter 10 Downing Street.


French ambassador Sylvie Bermann too has denied Sturgeon making such a comment.


Sturgeon has now called on an urgent civil service investigation into how the memo was leaked.


Sturgeon of the SNP - the third largest party in the UK after it saw a massive enrolment following the recent Scottish referendum crossing 100,000 members, on Friday managed to swing every poll following the live debate, overtaking heavy weights like Cameron, Miliband and Liberal Democrat chief Nick Clegg.


YouGov poll published immediately after the debate found that 33% of Labour voters across the UK and 32% of Lib Dem voters thought that Sturgeon had performed best in the debate.


The Survation poll showed that 46.5% of respondents in Scotland thought Sturgeon won the debate - compared to just 24.8% for Miliband and 8.9% for Cameron.


The same poll also indicated that more people thought Sturgeon would make the best prime minister with 30.6% of respondents in Scotland indicating she came out on top.


The results were called a remarkable turning point with just 33 days to go for what is being called the most unpredictable general election in British history.


Sturgeon's version has also been backed by the French consul-general in Edinburgh, Pierre-Alain Coffinier.



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