Next prime minister seeking SNP support must commit to zero tolerance of antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism, Nicola Sturgeon says

The Scottish first minister unveils party manifesto with demand for early independence referendum

(EPA)

Nicola Sturgeon has said that any would-be prime minister seeking Scottish National Party​ support in a hung parliament must be committed to “zero tolerance” of antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other form of racism.

The Scottish first minister said that Boris Johnson had a string of racist comments on his record and was “dangerous and unfit for office” and she would never prop him up in a minority administration.

But, while saying Jeremy Corbyn had failed to deal properly with the issue of antisemitism in the Labour Party, she made clear that she would not rule out supporting him in return for an early referendum on Scottish independence.

Launching the SNP’s manifesto for the 12 December general election in Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon restated her demand for an “indyref2” in return for propping up a minority administration.

“There must be no Westminster veto on the right of the people of Scotland to decide their own future,” she said. “The SNP’s message to any Westminster party seeking our support is that if you can’t support this most fundamental of democratic principles, then the SNP cannot and will not support you.”

And she said that a vote for the SNP would help Scotland “escape Brexit”, which she said would be disastrous for the nation, cutting around £9bn from its income by the end of the 2020s.

Ms Sturgeon made clear that neither Mr Johnson nor Mr Corbyn would be her choice for prime minister: “I would rather Scotland wasn’t in the position of having to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea for the prime minister of our country. I make no bones about that.”

But she added: “I could never support Boris Johnson as prime minister for a whole host of reasons. On issues of racism and racist comments, he has a charge sheet of his own to answer.”

In the case of a hung parliament, Ms Sturgeon said that the SNP would have a responsibility to ensure that a new government had “the right values, policies and priorities”.

And she added: “We would be very clear of our expectations of any party leader who wanted the support of the SNP to make clear a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism, Islamophobia and any form of racism.”

Speaking a day after the chief rabbi questioned the Labour leader’s fitness for office, Ms Sturgeon said she did not know whether Mr Corbyn was personally antisemitic, but she “deplored” his lack of leadership on the issue.

And she said: “If Jeremy Corbyn is in a position of being able to form a minority government, then better to have the influence of SNP MPs, decent SNP MPs, in there who will make sure the right values are to the fore.”

Sturgeon poses with party members to launch the SNP’s election campaign in Edinburgh (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty Images)

As Mr Corbyn released secret documents that Labour claimed show the NHS is under risk in a free trade deal with the US after Brexit, Ms Sturgeon made it a condition of any post-election deal that the Scottish health service would be off the table in trade talks.

She said the SNP wanted oil and gas revenues to be ring-fenced for a Net Zero Fund to pay for the transition to a “carbon-free future”.

And she restated her opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent, denouncing it as “a colossal waste of money”.

Presenting the SNP as the only party able to take seats from the Conservatives north of the border, Ms Sturgeon said: “To people across Scotland, wherever you are, whatever your background, wherever you have come from and however you have voted in the past, let’s join together, let’s stand up for our right to choose a better future.

“At this election, I am asking you to vote for the SNP to escape Brexit, vote SNP to lock Boris Johnson’s Tories out of office, vote SNP to take power into your own hands – the hands of the people of Scotland – vote SNP so together we can build a better country for this and for future generations.”