SNP MP Ian Blackford spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Today host Martha Kearney about his party’s new plan to back a general election. Boris Johnson has called for an election on December 12, but the SNP want to call one earlier, depending on getting a long enough extension to the Article 50 deadline. It has reported that Mr Blackford and his party leader, Nicola Sturgeon, have asked Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to back their plan for a snap general election.

However, the MP refused to answer a question about if Mr Corbyn had agreed to the plan, prompting Ms Kearney to speculate that the Remain alliance between opposition parties was crumbling.

Mr Blackford said: “I think it’s well-known that the SNP have been arguing our case for the last few weeks that we want to have that election as soon as the extension is given.

“We’re on the record, both of us, of having said that so I don’t think there’s any surprise that we’ve continued to make these moves.

“We want to see Boris Johnson taken out of 10 Downing Street. We want to see the opposition parties come together to show leadership.”

Ms Kearney pointed out that the plan would be in danger if opposition parties didn’t come together to back it.

She asked: “Would you still vote to call an election if you’re the only party doing so?”

The SNP MP tried to dodge the question: “Firstly let’s see what happens with granting that extension, let’s get that done.

“For us, more options are on the table and we want this to be put back to the people.”

He added: “We want people in Scotland to have the option to say what they want, and particularly the right of Scotland to choose its own future, not to be determined by Boris Johnson or anyone else.”

Mr Blackford was also grilled about the December 5 date the SNP had chosen instead of the Prime Minister’s December 12.

He claimed that it would be better to have an election “as quickly as is practically possible”, but the BBC journalist said that for many people December 12 would already be “pretty quick”.

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He said: “I think there is a difference because the closer you move towards Christmas, the greater it is that people are obviously looking at nativity plays, Christmas parties, the unavailability of halls and schools and all the rest of it.

“It’s better to get this done as soon as is practically possible.

“December 5 would be an awful lot easier than it would be leaving an extra week and getting right into that Christmas run-up period.”

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk recommended to the EU27 accept the UK request for an extension.

EU ambassadors are meeting now in order to discuss the next steps.

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