KEIGHLEY Tory parliamentary candidate Kris Hopkins says he is “shocked but not surprised” at comments made by the Scottish National Party’s former leader at a fundraising event.

Alex Salmond was caught on film quipping that he would be writing the Labour Party budget should Ed Miliband become the country’s next prime minister.

Mr Hopkins said: “Even by Alex Salmond’s standards, this footage is jaw-dropping in its arrogance.

“But as my Conservative colleagues and I have been arguing for some time, his words simply confirm that he and Nicola Sturgeon will be pulling Ed Miliband’s strings if he sneaks into 10 Downing Street with the support of the SNP.

“The SNP has two objectives in its desire to prop up a minority Labour Government – to force another Scottish independence referendum and to squeeze as much as possible out of English taxpayers before Scotland heads for the exit door.”