A former SNP minister today calls on Labour to back a deal with his party at Westminster – but insists it would not be a coalition.
Kenny MacAskill also warns his own party it will struggle to win 56 Westminster seats at the next general election.
Scottish Labour has been thrown into a spin by comments by the new shadow Scottish Secretary Dave Anderson that it may have to consider a coalition with the SNP in order to secure the keys to No 10.
Read more: New shadow Scottish Secretary refuses to rule out possible coalition with SNP
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has said that she would oppose any arrangement with the SNP.
Mr MacAskill, the former Justice Secretary, calls on Labour to consider what he said could be a “Progressive Alliance to defeat the Tories”.
The shock Brexit result has “changed the political landscape”, leaving the “most right wing administration in generations” in Downing Street, he writes.
But he insisted that it would not be a “an amalgamation or even a coalition. It’s simply an agreement to defeat the Tories and deliver some shared objectives.”
Read more: New shadow Scottish Secretary refuses to rule out possible coalition with SNP
He suggests that these would include an end to austerity, scrapping Trident, and, controversially, giving the Scottish Parliament the power to call a referendum.
Mr MacAskill also tells his own party: “This would be an alliance not a dictat, and with mutual benefit.
"Moreover, winning 56 seats once again will be hard and, in the absence of an early second independence referendum, protecting Scotland requires it.”
He accused Ms Dugdale of “narrow political sectarianism” and “irrelevancy” for dismissing the idea.
Earlier this week she said a pact "just wouldn't work. Labour is a socialist party. The SNP most certainly aren't.
Read more: New shadow Scottish Secretary refuses to rule out possible coalition with SNP
"If we're in a position to put a programme for Government to MPs, I'd hope the SNP would back Labour, but a deal or pact? No thanks."
Scottish Labour sources also accused Mr Anderson of failing to understand Scottish politics.
Mr MacAskill recently made headlines with a call for the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to hike taxes as "the price of being Scottish".
The SNP veteran said that middle and high earners should pay more to help fund public spending.
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