THE House of Commons authorities have already made contact with the SNP about the prospect of a surge of Nationalist MPs descending on Westminster following the General Election.

 

Sources have revealed that Commons officials have been trying to gauge potential numbers for accommodation purposes as often MPs from one party are housed in the same corridor or corridors.

The accommodation of MPs can be something of a nightmare for the main parties; in the past members have had to been housed in corridors for weeks before appropriate office space is found.

The main parties have accommodation whips to sort MPs in terms of who gets preference; grandees such as Cabinet Ministers past and present tend to get the plushest offices overlooking the Thames.

The SNP has never had an accommodation whip before because of its comparatively small number of MPs but if the polls are right, then it might be that the party will need one after May 7.

Today, Scottish MPs are eagerly awaiting the latest poll out this morning from Lord Ashcroft, the Tory peer, who has done in-depth surveys on a number of key constituencies north of the border, thought to have included those of Liberal Democrat MPs Danny Alexander, Jo Swinson and Michael Moore as well as Labour's Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander.

Lord Ashcroft has been teasing MPs saying how the snapshot is "a humdinger". It is expected to confirm the SNP surge and that Labour could be facing meltdown in Scotland in just three months' time.

Senior Nationalist sources are insisting they are not getting carried away with the flow of polls suggesting their party will win the lion's share of Scotland's contingent of 59 MPs. "We're not counting our chickens and will be fighting for every single vote," said one MP.

But yet another snapshot has proved appetising reading for Nicola Sturgeon and her colleagues, placing the SNP on 48 per cent and Labour on 27, which could translate into Labour losing as many as 30 of its 41 Scottish seats.