Lib Dems: Labour scuppered progressive alliance
“Certain key Labour Cabinet ministers” were responsible for the quick collapse of talks towards a Lib-Lab coalition, the Liberal Democrats have claimed.
A statement attributed to a party spokesperson said prominent Labour figures held out on policy issues and suggested Labour “would not deliver” on proportional representation.
“It is clear that some people in the Labour party see opposition as a more attractive alternative to the challenges of creating a progressive, reforming government, not least in the context of a Labour leadership election campaign,” the statement said.
The collapse of formal coalition talks with Labour, which were only initiated yesterday as a bidding war was triggered on electoral reform, paved the way for the Lib Dems to enter into a formal coalition deal with the Conservatives.
The Lib Dem spokesperson said: “It is clear that the Labour party never took seriously the prospects of forming a progressive, reforming government with the Liberal Democrats.
“Key members of Labour’s negotiating team gave every impression of wanting the process to fail and Labour made no attempt at all to agree a common approach with the Liberal Democrats.”
Labour refused to give ground on issues such as fairer schools funding for the most deprived pupils and taking those on low incomes out of tax, the statement added.
