A day after Nicola Sturgeon emerged as the winner of Britain's first ever televised pre-election debate, the SNP leader and Scotland's first minister has landed herself in a boiling controversy.
A memo reportedly leaked from Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office allegedly claims that Sturgeon told French ambassador to the UK that she actually wanted Conservative Party leader David Cameron to win the upcoming general election instead of Labour leader Ed Miliband.
The memo has sent shock waves across Britain as SNP is known to be going into elections as Labour's strongest ally.
Miliband called the memo "damning" as Sturgeon called it "100% not true".
SNP on Saturday reasserted that it would side with Labour and ensure Cameron does not re-enter 10 Downing Street. French ambassador Sylvie Bermann too has denied Sturgeon making such a comment. Sturgeon has now called on an urgent civil service investigation into how the memo was leaked.
YouGov poll published immediately after the debate found that 33% of Labour voters across the UK and 32% of Lib Dem voters thought that Sturgeon had performed best in the debate.
The same poll also indicated that more people thought Sturgeon would make the best prime minister with 30.6% of respondents in Scotland indicating she came out on top.
The results were called a remarkable turning point with just 30 days to go for what is being called the most unpredictable general election in British history.
Sturgeon's version has also been backed by the French consul-general in Edinburgh, Pierre-Alain Coffinier.
