SCOTTISH Labour has been accused of setting an impossible test for council coalitions with the Tories, after suggesting its councillors would have to attack their would-be partners.

Deputy leader Alex Rowley, who chairs the panel that rules on proposed power-sharing deals, said he wanted councillors “to take the fight to the Tory government” over austerity.

However such open warfare would effectively rule out Labour-Tory deals, as it would strain coalitions to the point of collapse.

A Tory spokesman said Mr Rowley had “illustrated the absurdity of Scottish Labour’s position”.

Scottish Labour’s ruling executive last week suspended all nine Labour councillors in Aberdeen after they entered coalition with the city’s Tory group in defiance of party HQ.

The nine now sit as Independents on the authority, leaving Scotland’s third largest city without any Labour representation.

Scottish Labour has also rejected a proposed deal with the Tories in West Lothian following the local elections on May 4.

Labour insists that, unlike the SNP, it has not imposed a blanket ban on deals with Tories.

Instead, it says all potential alliances are judged on their own merits, with assessed according to their impact on austerity, public services and jobs.

However so far Labour HQ has only signed off deals with parties other than the Tories.

On BBC Sunday Politics Scotland, Mr Rowley was asked to explain the difference between the Labour-Tory deal in Aberdeen which was rejected and Labour-SNP deals in Fife and South Ayrshire which his committee had approved.

He said Aberdeen Labour was unclear how it would fight austerity, whereas Fife Labour “will expose and attack the parties who are behind the austerity, and it is a Conservative party.

“The Coalition agreement that’s signed in Fife sets out very clearly how they’re going to tackle the worst impacts of austerity… part of that is to take the fight to the Tory government.

“The Tory party in Scotland are in complete denial about the impact of their policies. We will not enter into coalition with parties that are in complete denial about their policies.

“If Aberdeen came forward with a coalition agreement that set out very clearly the impact that Tory policy was having on Aberdeen, with a clear commitment to actually fight that, then people would be a bit more comfortable.”

Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Graham Simpson said: “Alex Rowley's comments make no sense whatsoever.

“It's the SNP government that sets local government budgets, as he well knows.

“So the only party responsible for austerity in councils is the SNP. That Labour are prepared to jump into bed with them is bizarre and makes a mockery of their so-called tests.”