Nicola Sturgeon: Scrapping Trident would be 'fundamental' in Labour/SNP coalition agreement

Video report by ITV News' Chris Ship

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told ITV News scrapping the Trident nuclear programme would be a "fundamental" issue in a potential coalition deal with Labour after the general election.

Ms Sturgeon said agreement on stopping the renewal of the nuclear deterrent, as well as abandoning "failed" austerity policies, would be key in winning her party's support in the event of a hung Parliament.

"It's a fundamental for me and the SNP...there certainly wouldn't be any Labour/SNP coalition if Trident was part of it," the First Minister told Deputy Political Editor Chris Ship.

"The Labour leadership say they wouldn't want to change position on Trident.

"I know for a fact that there are lots of people in the rank and file of Labour - especially north of the border - who would actually want to see Labour take a different view on the replacement of Trident.

"Labour and the Tories together say that over the next two years there will need to be another £30 billion worth of cuts, but simultaneously planning to spend or commit £100 billion to new nuclear weapons - it doesn't make any financial sense or, in my view, any military sense."

She described the prospect of a formal coalition with Labour as "unlikely", suggesting instead that her party could work with a minority government led by Ed Miliband on a "case by case".

"I'm not ruling it out completely; let's wait and see how people vote."