Cole-Hamilton: Lib Dems get things done but we could go further with more MSPs

Liberal Democrats “squeezed every penny we could” out of the Scottish Government in a Budget deal that shows the party “get things done”, Alex Cole-Hamilton will tell his supporters.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader will argue the agreement, reached last week with SNP ministers, will see £300 million of Government money used to fund Lib Dem priorities.

He will go on to tell his party’s conference in Edinburgh that winning more seats in May’s Scottish Parliament election will mean the Lib Dems can achieve more.

The Liberal Democrats currently have five MSPs, with Mr Cole-Hamilton set to use his speech on Friday to highlight successes they have achieved – setting out how Jamie Greene helped improve rights for victims, Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart secured funding for ferries, while Willie Rennie “stood up” for families and businesses impacted by flooding in Cupar, Fife.

“That’s what we’ve been up to with just five MSPs, Mr Cole-Hamilton will say. “Just imagine what we could do with more.”

Appealing to voters across Scotland to back his party in the regional list ballot in May, he will insist: “The more MSPs we have, the more we can get done.”

He will say his party’s deal on the Budget will result in a 10% increase in cash for colleges, as well as more money for hospices, autism and ADHD assessments, and increased support for the hospitality sector.

He will declare while while some opposition parties “only fire out angry press releases and achieve absolutely nothing”, others are “prepared to get things done”.

Liberal Democrats “sat round the table” with SNP ministers, he will say, despite Labour having confirmed its MSPs would abstain in Budget votes, meaning the Government’s tax and spending plans for 2026-27 would pass with no need for deals.

Mr Cole-Hamilton will say this is how his party “got £300 million of Government money put behind Scottish Liberal Democrat priorities”, and had “squeezed every penny we could” out of ministers.

But he will argue: “Of course a single Budget can’t unpick all the damage done by 19 years of SNP Government.

“We know the thing that will truly bring about the change that Scotland needs is a change of government.

“But budget by budget, Bill by Bill, case by case, we choose to use our leverage as MSPs, as an opposition party, to get things done.

“It isn’t always easy, it’s certainly not risk-free, but sometimes it’s just the right thing to do.”