AN SNP MP has said that “rats and sinking ships spring to mind” after it was reported that Tory advisers are ditching Rishi Sunak for Keir Starmer.
Another senior SNP figure, meanwhile, said that it proves that the Tories and Labour are "one and the same".
A flurry of people once aligned with the Tories have quietly started advising Labour according to the Telegraph.
This includes Mark Carney – the former governor of the Bank of England chosen by George Osborne – who is giving advice to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves on private sector investment.
READ MORE: Even Tory voters back public ownership of water and electricity, huge poll finds
Nick Boles, previously a Tory skills minister, is also reportedly offering informal advice on how to transition to power.
Meanwhile, former Tory Treasury secretary Lord O’Neill of Gatley has contributed to a Labour review of business start-up funding.
David Cameron’s foreign policy adviser Tom Fletcher has also been revealed by the newspaper as an informal adviser on diplomacy.
It comes amidst regular criticism from opposition parties that Labour – who are flying high in the polls with consistent double digit leads – aren’t offering a stark difference to the Tories. Humza Yousaf previously said Labour were a “pale imitation of the Tories” before later saying they are a “replica”.
“Whether it is the blue Tories or red Tories in No 10, they will continue policies that are harming Scotland. We need independence to protect our people,” the First Minister said.
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard (above), meanwhile, told The National that the “key point” is that these advisers “haven’t changed their minds”.
“They just see capitalism's best interests now being served by Starmer rather than Sunak,” he said.
“The lack of real choice for people south of the border is thoroughly depressing - thankfully in Scotland we have a real alternative."
Toni Giugliano, the SNP's former policy convener who is standing to become Falkirk’s next MP, said that Labour and the Tories are “one and the same.”
"Most people now accept that this isn't a mere attack line,” he added.
"The same policies, the same advisers and the same admiration for Margaret Thatcher.
"This explains why Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned Labour's founding left-of-centre principles in favour of Tory polices - including more austerity, protecting bankers' bonuses and the privatisation of the NHS.
"Only a vote for the SNP and gaining the powers of a normal independent country will offer real change in this election.”
A survey from Redfield and Wilton Strategies, published two weeks ago, suggested that the SNP and Labour were neck-and-neck when it came to how Scots would vote in the upcoming General Election.
It found the SNP would win 34% of the vote, while Labour also won 34%. The Tories polled at 16%, the LibDems 6%, the Greens and Reform both on 4%, and Alba on 1%.
Pollster Mark McGeoghegan said that a seat projection based on these results would see the SNP return 20 MPs while Labour returned 27. The Tories would drop one MP to return six north of the Border, while the LibDems would win four seats.
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