THE SNP will not field candidates in England, party sources have stressed, despite Nicola Sturgeon saying she was “tempted” to do so given the level of support for the Nationalists south of the border.
In a Big Issue interview, the First Minister said she has had a lot of contact from people in England and had found the London branch of the SNP was "booming".
The party reported a jump in membership applications from south of the border after Ms Sturgeon's performance in TV debates before the 2015 General Election and was said to have about 1,000 members in England.
Nicola Sturgeon: I'm tempted to let SNP candidates stand in England and Wales
In the interview, conducted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming, Ms Sturgeon said: "I'm tempted...There are a lot[of people] in England - a lot who contact me - who feel completely disenfranchised that there is nobody speaking up for them. Our London branch is booming at the moment."
During the 2014 independence referendum Mr Cumming joined the SNP leader on the campaign trail and described her as "inspirational" in his Big Issue article.
"She is the well-mannered yet rampant lioness and we are her lucky cubs," he declared.
But a senior SNP source was quick to quash the notion that the party might start campaigning for votes in England, saying: “For the avoidance of any doubt the SNP will continue to stand candidates for election in Scotland only.”
Speaking before her recent phone call from US President-elect Donald Trump, the FM told Mr Cumming that she would meet the tycoon if he came to Scotland.
Nicola Sturgeon: I'm tempted to let SNP candidates stand in England and Wales
"Obviously,” she observed, “he spends time in Scotland, he has Scottish ancestry and if he comes - as I'm sure he will - he's the President of America and if the opportunity is there, I'd meet him.
"I've written to him to congratulate him. I don't think it's any secret that I would rather that he hadn't been elected. But he has, and so I'm going to respect that but I'm not going to abandon my own values; just as I'm sure he's not going to abandon the things he believes in.”
Ms Sturgeon went on: "Hopefully, we can have a relationship based on values although I do hope he does abandon some of the values that he campaigned on.”
She added: "He's going to be the President of America. There's no point in pretending otherwise."
Nicola Sturgeon: I'm tempted to let SNP candidates stand in England and Wales
Mr Trump called Ms Sturgeon last Friday to discuss the ''long-standing relationship between Scotland and the United States" despite being stripped of his role as a business ambassador for Scotland over controversial comments during his presidential campaign.
Asked by what her hopes were for 2017, the FM replied: "That it is slightly calmer than 2016."
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