Theresa May attacks 'progressive alliance' of SNP, Lib Dems and Labour

Theresa May has attacked proposals for a “progressive alliance” between parties of the left and centre to take on the Conservatives.

The Green Party this morning called for talks between themselves, Labour, the Lib Dems in “a handful of seats” in order to “stop the Tories wrecking our country”.

Though nothing has been agreed and the other parties have so far been cool on the plans, the Prime Minister accused her opponents of wanting “to unite together to divide our country”.

“What do we know that the leader of the Labour party, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and leader of the Scottish nationalists have in common?” she said in response to a question by Lib Dem leader Tim Farron at Prime Minister’s Questions.

“Corbyn, Farron, Sturgeon: they want to unite together to divide our country and we will not let them do it.”

In a letter to the leaderships of Labour and the Lib Dems Green co-leaders Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley said they recognised that "signalling a willingness to work with other parties might be difficult" but that "the times we are living in require leaders to be courageous and visionary, to actively build a more positive politics".

Polling conducted in the aftermath of the 2015 general election found that voters in the English marginal seats that decide the election backed the Tories in part because they worried about a SNP and Labour coalition.

The Conservatives produced a campaigning poster that depicted Ed Miliband in the pocket of SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.