Alex Salmond hints SNP might begin voting on English laws

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has opened up the possibility that the Scottish National Party could drop a long-standing practice of not voting on English laws in the House of Commons.

The change could have a profound effect after next May’s UK general election, if Labour leader Ed Miliband is faced with having to woo SNP support to form a majority in the Commons.

For years the SNP has not voted on legislation that covers England only, in a pointed display of its belief that Scottish matters should be decided by Scots, and English ones by the English.

However, Mr Salmond, in an interview published in the Spectator today, insisted that the no-vote rule – which has been broken on only a couple of occasions – had been his "choice" during his time as leader.

Faced with new arithmetic after next May’s election, Mr Salmond said the SNP – now led by his former deputy, Nicola Sturgeon – would be “prepared to listen to other counsel” – coded language indicating they would support Labour, at a price.

The language is deliberately chosen and achieves two objectives. Firstly, it tells Scots who have normally voted for Labour in the Commons elections, even if they prefer the SNP to run Holyrood, that they do not have to make a similar choice.

Coalition

Labour’s 41 seats in Scotland are crucial to Mr Miliband’s very limited hopes of a majority government, and are absolutely crucial if he is to be in with a chance of forming a coalition.

Listing three aims, Mr Salmond said the SNP would seek the “full” redemption of the pledges of extra powers for Scotland made before the September 18th referendum by Mr Miliband, David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Equally, he said they were sticking “up for Scottish causes, and pursuing progressive politics with allies on things like the living wage or international issues when we have got a lot to say”.

Saying he had believed he was going to win in the final weeks of the referendum campaign, Mr Salmond said a poll that put the Yes camp in the lead had sent his opponents into “an overdue panic”.

Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown had gone into overdrive, he said, adding that he had underrated the impact that could be made by “one politician with any credibility” underwriting “the commitment from three politicians with no credibility”.

Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon had her first audience with Queen Elizabeth since taking over as first minister. She was also sworn in as a member of the Privy Council, the queen’s body of advisers.