Chris Bryant To Urge SNP To 'Get On Board' And Defeat Tories, Issues Call For Labour Unity

Labour Urges SNP To 'Get On Board' And Defeat Tories
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NEWARK UPON TRENT, ENGLAND - JUNE 05: Labour Party MP Chris Bryant speaks on the phone as ballot papers cast in the Newark by-election are counted in Kelham Hall, home to Newark and Sherwood District Council, on June 5, 2014 near Newark-on-Trent, England. Voters in the constituency of Newark have gone to the polls in parliamentary by-election brought about by the resignation of Conservative MP Patrick Mercer who held a majority of 16,000. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
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Labour will today urge the SNP to "get on board" and help it defeat the government in Commons votes.

In his speech to the Labour conference this afternoon, the shadow leader of the House, Chris Bryant, will reach out to Nicola Sturgeon's party.

Bryant will also urge Labour MPs to unite in the wake of a fractious leadership election that saw Jeremy Corbyn storm to victory. The new Labour leader is faced with a series of internal policy conflicts as party members gather in Brighton.

The Rhondda MP, who backed Yvette Cooper over Corbyn, will tell "Len [McLuskey] to join up with Tony [Blair]. Harriet [Harman] with Peter [Mandelson]. Liz [Kendall] with Jeremy [Corbyn]. Yvette [Cooper] with Andy [Burnham]."

He will say: "People are sick and tired of that kind of command and control, winner takes it all politics. They see out of touch, self-important ministers, parroting the line as if their life depends on it and they cry out for something better. And the truth is, we got caught up in that too. Not thinking what do I believe, or what is the right thing to do, but what is the line. Voters hate that. They think it’s dishonest and they can smell it through the TV."

"That means turning our backs on cynicism, not on the voters. It means really listening to them, crafting modern policies that go with the grain of their lives, capturing their imagination, inspiring them and making sure the sums add up."

Bryant, will use his speech to attack the Conservative Party as a "vote-rigging, seat-selling, lords-packing, council-cutting, gerrymandering, government" which is "hurting our democracy".

He is expected to urge other opposition parties in the Commons to unite against Cameron. "They’ve only got a majority of twelve and if we have to get the Scottish Nationalists on board, plus the Welsh Nationalists, the Unionists and Caroline Lucas – and yes, even rebel Tories – to defeat the Government, then that’s what we’ll do," he will say.