Diplomat Denies Sturgeon Backed Cameron

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A senior French official says claims that SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she would rather see David Cameron than Ed Miliband as PM after the election are incorrect.

A Daily Telegraph report claims a leaked UK government memorandum - likely from the Foreign Office - sets out an account of a meeting between Ms Sturgeon and the French ambassador to the UK Sylvie Bermann.

The memo was written by a British civil servant after a conversation with France's consul general in Edinburgh, Pierre-Alain Coffinier, who was present.

But speaking to Sky News on Saturday, Mr Coffinier said that no preference for Prime Minister was discussed at the meeting in February.

"At no stage did anyone comment on their preference regarding the elections," he said.

"I didn't say that. I did not. I don't know (how it ended up in the memo)."

Sky's James Matthews asked: "Did you tell a civil servant that Miss Sturgeon had expressed a preference for David Cameron?"

He replied: "No. No."

The memo reportedly said: "Discussion appears to have focused mainly on the political situation, with the (First Minister) stating that she wouldn't want a formal coalition with Labour; that the SNP would almost certainly have a large number of seats ... that she'd rather see David Cameron remain as PM."

It added that Ms Sturgeon said the Labour leader was not "prime minister material".

But in a direct tweet to the journalists who wrote the story Ms Sturgeon wrote: "Your story is categorically, 100%, untrue ... which I'd have told you if you'd asked me at any point today."

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A spokeswoman for the First Minister added: "It must be a belated April Fool.

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Gallery: Latest Polls In Race For No 10

On April 1, a Sun/YouGov poll gave Labour a very narrow lead over the Tories, with UKIP on 12% and the Liberal Democrats on 7%.

The following day, the same source put the Conservatives in the lead, and boosted UKIP and the Lib Dems by a point each.

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The TV debate on Thursday was a chance for voters to hear from the party leaders, with polling showing approval for UKIP's Nigel Farage and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon at similar levels to Ed Miliband and David Cameron.

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The following day, YouGov/The Sun still had the Tories in the lead, with Labour close behind.

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But a Mirror poll had the situation reversed, with Labour in a narrow lead over David Cameron's party - and UKIP on 18%.

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"As Nicola has said on numerous occasions, she wants to see the back of a Tory government which is decisively rejected by the people of Scotland and unlike Labour, the SNP is the only party that has promised to lock David Cameron out of Downing Street."

Mr Miliband said: "I think these are damning revelations.

"What it shows is that while in public the SNP are saying they don't want to see a Conservative government in private they're actually saying they do want a Conservative government.

"It shows that the answer at this General Election is that if you want the Conservatives out the only answer is to vote Labour for a Labour government."

Ms Sturgeon's performance in the televised debate has focused attention on her party's potentially pivotal role in forming the next UK government.

Tories described the prospect of a Labour government propped up by the votes of the Scottish nationalists as a "lethal cocktail".

The party said such an alliance would destabilise the country and undermine the economic recovery.

She was branded "the most dangerous woman in Britain" by the Daily Mail. Polls suggest the anti-austerity SNP could snatch dozens of Labour seats north of the border.

Meanwhile, campaigning continues into Easter with Labour unveiling a plan to build 125,000 homes by creating a £5bn housebuilding fund.

The Tories, meanwhile, are unveiling a pledge to force pornography websites to use effective age-verification tools to keep out under-18s.

Ms Sturgeon is due to join the annual Scrap Trident group march in Glasgow, only a short distance from the Faslane home of nuclear-armed submarines.

The latest Survation/Mirror poll puts Mr Miliband ahead of Mr Cameron, with 33% and 31% of the vote respectively.

UKIP polled at 18%, the Liberal Democrats 9%, the SNP 5% and Greens 3%.

These results are markedly different from a YouGov/The Sun poll which was published on Thursday night.

It suggested that the Conservative Party had hit a three-year high - with 37% of those questioned stating they would vote Tory if the General Election was tomorrow.

Labour was on 35%, the Lib Dems on 7%, UKIP on 12% and the Greens on 5%.

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