Senior Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes has said he would approach any future coalition government with Labour with “relish” and “zeal”.
Addressing Labour MPs and supporters at a fringe event in Manchester the deputy leader of the Lib-Dems insisted his party could work with Labour.
Mr Hughes, a close ally of Business Secretary Vince Cable, made it clear that if the next election delivered a hung parliament senior Lib-Dems would be prepared to form a coalition with Labour.
He told Labour MPs including Ed Miliband’s Parliamentary Private Secretary John Denham and Caroline Flint: “We may have to work together.
“If that’s the case, I will relish that and do that with zeal provided you were much more progressive than you were last time you were in government.
“But you really have to move on from some really conservative positions.”
Mr Hughes, the MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, added: “So if you want a deal, if the electorate do not deliver a majority, for heaven’s sake have a manifesto that will allow progressives to work together to deliver a better Britain … not a post-Blairite manifesto that actually would not change Britain.”
Mr Hughes joked that he had not been invited to address any events at the Conservative Party conference next week.
At the fringe meeting Lib-Dem MP John Pugh, referring to the revelations that Dr Cable had exchanged text messages with Mr Miliband, said: “If Vince wants to text Ed. That’s okay with me.”
