EVERY deal Scottish Labour strike with the Tories on councils across Scotland will have been specifically approved by the party’s ruling body, a leaked document has suggested.

The news comes despite Anas Sarwar’s public stance against “doing pacts or deals or coalitions” with other parties.

A memo seen by the Daily Record, apparently written and sent out on the day of the local elections, seemingly undermines Sarwar’s rhetoric.

An insider told that paper that Sarwar’s position had always been aimed at the SNP more than the Conservatives, but it now seems that the position had never been more than a front.

The Daily Record reported a note in the name of Scottish Labour general secretary James Kelly, dated May 5, which showed candidates there would “be flexibility around local agreements post-election”.

READ MORE: 'Grubby' Labour-Tory deal set to lock SNP out of power on Scottish council

However, it said that Labour groups could not enter into arrangements without the “specific approval” of the party’s Scottish Executive Committee (SEC), and that an SEC subcommittee would consider every “post-election arrangement request”.

The note stated: “The proposal should set out clearly and in detail the policy aims of the proposed administration. These policy priorities should be drawn directly from the local manifesto and in line with Scottish Labour’s National Manifesto for Local Government launched on April 7 by Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour Leader.”

The instructions handed down from the party’s top brass suggest that every deal struck so far, including with the Tories in both Stirling and North Lanarkshire, will have been approved by Scottish Labour’s ruling body.

Scottish minister Christina McKelvie wrote on Twitter: “This means Labour will deal with Tories whilst at the same time telling folk they will tackle the Tory #CostOfLivingCrisis.

“Duplicitous doesn’t go far enough on Labour hypocrisy…”

SNP MSP Paul McLennan added: “Labour drop their principles as soon as they see the opportunities to work with the Tories.”

The no coalitions line seems to have hurt the party in some areas, such as Aberdeen where it will lose its place on the administration, but helped in others, such as Stirling, where Labour are aiming to form a minority administration despite having just six councillors.

Despite the contents of the leaked document, a Scottish Labour spokesperson told the Record: “Scottish Labour has been clear – Labour councillors will engage in no coalitions or pacts with any other parties and seek to form minority administrations.”

The party has not responded to any requests for comment from The National on Sarwar’s “no coalitions” stance since the May vote.