Nicola Sturgeon attacks Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party as 'unreliable, unelectable and unable' to fight the Tories

Scotland's First Minister said she had initially hoped to work with the new Labour leader on a number of issues but said it had become 'glaringly obvious' that he was unable to unite his party on 'any of the big issues of our day'

Nicola Sturgeon addresses the SNP conference in Aberdeen

Nicola Sturgeon has attacked Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party as “unreliable, unelectable and unable to stand up to the Tories” as she declared the SNP the only viable opposition to the Conservatives government.

She said Labour was “divided and in disarray” on numerous issues, such as whether to renew Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent, austerity, airstrikes on Syria and whether to abolish the House of Lords.

Mr Corbyn and Ms Sturgeon share common ground on all of these issues and the First Minister said she had initially hoped to work with Mr Corbyn on a number of issues during this Parliament.

However it had become “glaringly obvious” that he was unable to unite his party on “any of the big issues of our day,” she said as she opened the biggest ever SNP conference in Aberdeen.

She said Labour was so divided that it had enabled the Tories to “threaten to even more deeply divide our society” under a “cloak of centrist rhetoric”.

“Whether on the economy, or Trident, or even the question of whether UK forces should take part in air strikes on Syria, Labour is a party divided and in disarray,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“In fact, the only thing clear about Labour - and it becomes clearer by the day - is this: Labour is unreliable, unelectable and unable to stand up to the Tories.

“At Westminster there is now only one united, strong, principled opposition to David Cameron and George Osborne: the party I am proud to lead, our party, the Scottish National Party.”

She added: “As Labour becomes ever more divided, the Tories - under the cloak of centrist rhetoric - threaten to even more deeply divide our society.

“Tax credit cuts for the lowest paid, repeal of the human rights act, attacks on trade union freedoms and disgracefully divisive language on immigration...this is not a Tory government moving to the centre.

“This is a Tory government trying to shift the centre ground of British politics sharply to the right.”