According to the leader of Scotland, Labour won't make a post-election deal for SNP.

According to the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Labour will not make any deals with SNP after the next general elections.

Anas Sarwar stated that there would not be a pact between parties in the event of a dead parliament.

In a speech delivered at Westminster, the leader of Scottish Labour was presenting his plans for the future UK.

His proposals included a legal obligation of cooperation for London and Edinburgh governments, as well as a regional senator to replace the House of Lords.

SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants an independence referendum to be held on 19 October 2023. If this is not possible, the next general elections could be used for a single-issue vote.

The London speech of Mr Sarwar comes a week after Ms Sturgeon announced her plans to seek a new vote on independence.

As he presented the first of a series on papers about reforming Scotland and the UK, the leader of Scottish Labour called for cooperation and not conflict to be at the heart and soul of government.

It proposed the introduction of a “legal obligation to cooperate” between the UK and Scottish governments. A new governance forum would also be created that would “bring together leaders from the UK and the countries on an equal basis”.

Sarwar also demanded that the House of Lords be abolished to make way for a Senate of the Nations and Regions, which would have more representatives from the UK and reflect modern Britain.

He stated that “the political game-playing in recent years has damaged the devolution settlement.” These new rules of engagement are needed to fix it.

In the event of a Westminster hung parliament, Mr Sarwar disregarded any deals or pacts with the SNP.

BBC Scotland, he said: “We are trying get an outright Labour majority in the next election.

“If we fail to do so and try to form a Labour minority government the SNP will have to make a choice – they could have a Tory or Labour government. In that scenario, I dare Nicola Sturgeon to support the Tories, and let’s watch how Scotland responds.”

The speech was hosted by the Fabian Society. Mr Sarwar stated that the SNP and Tories had “stoked bitterness, division, and anger and created politics of us against them”.

He also attacked leaders of rival parties, saying that Boris Johnson was “a gift for SNP” and Ms Sturgeon “wants Scot against Scot for herself.”

The SNP also accused Labour of being “indistinguishable” from the Tories regarding Brexit, claiming that independence was the only way back to the EU for Scotland.

Sir Keir Starmer, Labour’s UK leader, will make a speech later where he will pledge to keep Britain out of the single European market.

Ian Blackford, leader of the SNP Westminster, said that Sir Keir was offering “no real change at all” and added that there was no route to Europe or economic prosperity at Westminster.

The Tories claimed that Mr Sarwar had repeatedly rejected pacts between the SNP and the Tories prior to May’s council election, only for him to join a cross party coalition in Dumfries & Galloway.

Craig Hoy, MSP and chairman of the party, stated that pro-union voters understand that only the Scottish Conservatives are capable of standing up to the SNP.

Anas Sarwar attempted to make a unique position for Labour in the discussion over Scotland’s future with this speech.

The party has been an inconspicuous third wheel in a binary tussle for years, with the SNP or Conservatives cementing their positions of parties of independence and union.

Although Labour would prefer to talk about just about anything, the constitution is set to dominate Scottish politics until the next election. Mr Sarwar must have a clear policy to back him up.

It is difficult to find a third solution to this problem. Just ask the Lib Dems who have not made much progress with their calls for federalism since 2014.

Talk of Mr Sarwar denying any post-election alliances with the SNP will dominate the headlines – something he did before the Holyrood elections and the council elections in 2021, 2022.

He really has no choice but to exclude cooperation with other parties as Labour desperately needs to regain votes lost to the SNP or the Tories in recent years.

It also seems quite obvious for a Westminster election, as neither Labour nor SNP MPs will vote to put Boris Johnson in office again, regardless of any deals being offered.