General Election 2015: Sturgeon orders key members of Holyrood cabinet to head straight to London after campaign to 'begin negotiations'

Nicola Sturgeon has ordered key members of her Holyrood cabinet, along with nationalist MPs with experience of Westminster, to be in London immediately after the election to “begin negotiations”, according to senior sources.

The Scottish National Party is preparing for post-election talks despite Labour leader Ed Miliband ruling out a formal deal with the party.

Ms Sturgeon has stated that she will personally lead any negotiations if her party holds the balance of power after the arithmetic of the election is known. Alongside the SNP leader herself, key members of the negotiating team will include the deputy leader Stewart Hosie, and Angus Robertson, the current group leader at Westminster and spokesman on defence and foreign affairs.

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Others figures less well known in Westminster who have been ordered to go south this coming weekend include Holyrood’s current minister for Europe, Humza Yousaf. Two other MSPs said to be on “relatively good terms” with Labour in Scotland have also been told to be in London.

According to sources, the former leader and first minister, Alex Salmond, will be given a specific task, although it was not made clear what role he will have.

Mr Yousaf’s inclusion is related to his connections with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He regularly meets key aides inside the FCO in London as part of his European portfolio.

Both Mr Robertson and Mr Hosie are expected to easily hold their respective Moray and Dundee seats in the near wipe-out of Labour and the Liberal Democrats north of the border which is forecast for 7 May.

Despite Mr Miliband repeatedly ruling out a coalition or deal of any kind with the nationalists, the SNP believes its predicted powerbase at Westminster, which polls suggest could be over 50 MPs, will not be ignored if Labour wants to form the next government.

Those ordered to be in London by Saturday suggest that the SNP leadership believe discussions with Labour could be lengthy. Any deal with the Conservatives has been ruled out by Ms Sturgeon.

The Independent was told the inclusion of Holyrood ministers was because the SNP did not want to present themselves as “minor party” and instead wanted to “emphasise our credentials as Scotland’s elected government”.

Ed Miliband told the BBC’s Question Time debate last week that he would rule out forming a minority Labour government if that could only be achieved with the help of the SNP. He also ruled out a looser “confidence and supply” arrangement. “It’s not going to happen, and I couldn’t make it clearer,” he told the BBC audience.

His comments were rounded on by Ms Sturgeon who said “voters in Scotland will never forgive Labour “ if they rejected SNP support and allowed the Conservatives back into Downing Street.

Both Mr Miliband and the party’s Scottish leader, Jim Murphy, said if Labour formed a minority administration, there would be a “Labour Queen’s Speech and a Labour Budget” and it would be left to the SNP to decide if they backed it or not.

The common ground between Labour and the SNP remains unclear. Ms Sturgeon told a televised Scottish leaders’ debate on Sunday night that the SNP would be prepared to vote down a Labour budget if anti-austerity policies were absent.

Asked to comment on their negotiation plans, the SNP said: “There are no such plans – our entire focus is talking to the electorate to maximise Scotland’s voice at Westminster with a big team of SNP MPs.”