Nicola Sturgeon Says Jeremy Corbyn "Refused" To Share A Stage With Her

    The two didn't cross paths at a rally they both attended last week, but Corbyn's spokesperson denied the Labour leader avoided Sturgeon on purpose.

    Nicola Sturgeon has claimed Jeremy Corbyn "refused" to share a stage with her at last week's rally against nuclear weapons.

    Both the SNP and Labour leaders joined thousands of protesters at the anti-Trident rally in London's Trafalgar Square last Saturday, but Corbyn only appeared after Scotland's first minister had finished her speech to the crowd and left.

    During First Minister's Questions at the Scottish parliament on Thursday, Sturgeon denied Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson's jibe that she had "linked arms" with the Labour leader at the rally, saying Corbyn had refused to be at the rally at the same time as her.

    While grilling Sturgeon about Trident renewal, Davidson said: "Perhaps she has in mind Jeremy Corbyn's new position, which is that we should build the subs, keep the jobs, but just stick the missiles in a shed somewhere. I know that the first minister linked arms with the Labour leader last week but please tell me that she doesn't agree with him on that as well."

    Sturgeon replied: "Actually I didn't link arms because he refused to turn up until after I'd left for some unknown reason, but I'll leave that to him to explain."

    A spokesperson for Corbyn denied that the Labour leader had specifically chosen to avoid Sturgeon, telling BuzzFeed News he had other commitments to fulfil earlier in the day.

    "He was speaking at the Labour Yorkshire regional conference in the morning and travelled to the event after that as was arranged with the CND [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]," said the spokesperson.

    "His movements were driven by his own diary."