SNP would demand indyref2 as price of supporting Labour

SNP leader Humza Yousaf has difficulties to sort out

The SNP would demand the power for another independence vote as the price for supporting Labour in a hung parliament.

Senior figures in the SNP think they could hold the balance of power in the next parliament.

They have told the BBC the cost of their support would be devolving the power to hold another referendum to Holyrood.

This is the most explicit statement yet of their strategy.

Senior SNP figures told the BBC they will make the demand for a referendum a central part of their general election campaign.

• Labour and Lib Dems take seats from Tories

• Scottish government loses indyref2 court case

Labour have repeatedly said they would not do a deal with the SNP on another referendum.

The party has said it believes it can win a majority on its own - based on Thursday's local election results.

But the SNP leadership is planning to increase its calls for another referendum as the cost of support if Labour need it.

Shift in strategy

It's not clear what this would mean in practice however - it's unlikely the SNP would be prepared to bring down Labour and allow the Conservatives into power.

A Labour source dismissed the prospect saying: "There is going to be a majority Labour Government".

The SNP are also facing difficulties of their own.

The party has the cloud of a police investigation into its finances hanging over it.

It is racing to meet a deadline to provide audited accounts. If it misses that deadline, it could lose out on around £1.2m of public money.

As Chris Mason and I wrote last week, the party appears to be shifting to a longer term strategy on independence.

But senior figures have told the BBC the one "shortcut" would be in a hung parliament.

They would go further than asking for a Section 30 order - giving Holyrood temporary power as happened in 2014.

Instead, they would call for the power to be devolved permanently - giving Holyrood control over when another referendum happens.

That means a referendum would not necessarily be immediate.

The SNP leadership also wants to call for other powers of employment and energy policy.

Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: "The SNP would ensure the power to determine Scotland's future is transferred to Edinburgh, that the cost of living crisis becomes the main priority of Westminster, and that relations with Europe are rebuilt and renewed."

A Labour spokesman said: "Keir Starmer has repeatedly said no deals with the SNP going into an election, or coming out of the election. We're campaigning for a majority Labour government."

A Conservative source said: "Keir Starmer has already broken every pledge he's ever made so any claims he makes ruling this out can safely be dismissed."