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General Election 2015: Watch Alex Salmond joke about writing Labour's first budget

David Cameron tweeted the footage of Mr Salmond making the joke to an SNP audience earlier this month

Matt Dathan
Wednesday 22 April 2015 17:34 BST
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The original Tory election poster featuring Alex Salmond and Ed Miliband (Conservative Party/PA)
The original Tory election poster featuring Alex Salmond and Ed Miliband (Conservative Party/PA) (Conservative Party/PA)

David Cameron has tweeted footage of Alex Salmond joking about how he will be writing Labour party's first budget after the election.

The former SNP leader was referring to quotes made by Labour's shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna saying the party's Scottish leader Jim Murphy "will not be in charge of the UK budget," after the Scot pledged that further cuts in Scotland would not be necessary after 2016.

In the video Mr Salmond joked that he already knew Mr Murphy would not be writing the budget "because I'm writing the Labour party budget". And in reference to the Conservative party's poster depicting a miniature Mr Miliband in his top pocket, he added: "I'll just check my top pocket.... It's me, I'm in my top pocket," he joked.

It is the latest in the Conservative party's efforts to scare English voters off voting for Ed Miliband by warning of the dangers of Scottish nationalists calling the shots.

Mr Salmond hit back, insisting he was making a light-hearted point about Mr Murphy being put in his place by Labour HQ in London and suggested Mr cameron should develop his own "sense of humour".

"Instead of a few carefully stage-managed appearances, David Cameron should try holding a few public meetings and meeting real people - and develop a sense of humour.

Alex Salmond with Nicola Sturgeon in Gordon
Alex Salmond with Nicola Sturgeon in Gordon (PA)

"The point made in a light-hearted way was that Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy had been slapped down by his party bosses at Westminster and told that he would have no role in a Labour budget. David Cameron is clearly a Prime Minister with both a people bypass and a sense of humour bypass"

But George Osborne claimed it was further proof of the "economic chaos" the UK would be faced with if the SNP propped up a Labour government.

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