General election 2015: Ed Balls rules out Labour coalition with SNP as Tories edge new poll

Ed Balls has claimed Labour will not look to form a coalition government with the Scottish National Party as, with 100 days to go, polls point to the 2015 election being one of the most closely fought in a generation.

A New Statesman "Poll of Polls" puts the Conservatives 0.2% ahead of Labour on 32.3%, but the slim margin raises the prospect of neither party securing an overall majority and the possibility of another coalition government.

Polls suggest Labour could lose seats to the SNP north of the border, but shadow chancellor Balls has said the party will fight to form a single-party government and would not consider doing a deal with Nicola Sturgeon.

When asked by Sky News if he would consider a deal with the SNP, the MP for Morley and Outwood said: "No. I don't think anybody is suggesting any suggestion of a deal with the SNP at all, we're fighting hard for a majority."

His comments came after Prime Minister David Cameron said a deal between Labour and the SNP would be "genuinely frightening".

Cameron said the potential for a power sharing deal between the two parties was "an even worse outcome" than Ed Miliband entering Downing Street because Alex Salmond "actually fundamentally dislikes the United Kingdom."