Nicola Sturgeon now finds herself in Keir Starmer’s top pocket

The Labour leader fended off questions about a deal with the SNP, but may be in a stronger position than he realises, writes John Rentoul

The SNP leader has a weak bargaining position with Starmer ( Andy Buchanan /PA)

The image of Ed Miliband in Alex Salmond’s pocket was one of the most striking political posters in recent years, produced by Saatchi & Saatchi for the Conservatives in the 2015 election. It exploited the sense of unease among floating voters about the alternative to a Conservative or a Conservative-led government.

As the opinion polls suggested a Labour majority was unlikely, it seemed that the choice was between a government led by David Cameron and an unstable and undesirable combination of Labour and the Scottish National Party.

The poster told us a great deal about the state of public opinion in that election. One is that it featured Salmond, who had stepped down as SNP leader and first minister of Scotland four months earlier. However, he was standing as an MP, about to return to the House of Commons, where he would be leader of the SNP group in Westminster and a key player in negotiating any deal with a minority Labour government.