Scottish Lib Dems will overtake Tories at next Holyrood election, says leader

The Scottish Liberal Democrats will “certainly” overtake the Scottish Conservatives at next year’s Holyrood election, its leader has said.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said that people have been abandoning the “shrivelled husk” of the Conservative Party and have been drawn to the “positive vision of change” offered by his party.

There are currently five Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs, including Jamie Greene, who defected to the party from the Tories earlier this year.

The number of Scottish Conservative MSPs fell to 28 when Graham Simpson MSP defected to Reform UK in August.

Speaking on The Sunday Show on the BBC, Mr Cole-Hamilton said the party also expects to win against the SNP in many parts of the country.

He said: “I’m focused on what’s going to happen in Scotland in just eight months time.

“We have a huge opportunity, and the polling suggests that we’re going to take a massive leap forward at the next Scottish election.

“We’re certainly going to overtake the Conservatives. You heard it here first, and we’re poised to win against the SNP in huge parts of the country.

“People feel let down by the other parties. They’re tired, they’re frustrated, and they’re right to be. Scotland deserves better than this.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton said the Scottish Liberal Democrats stand for “fundamental grassroots pavement politics” such as driving down the cost of living.

He suggested people were turning away from the Scottish Conservatives, led by Russell Findlay MSP.

Speaking from the Lib Dems’ conference in Bournemouth, Mr Cole-Hamilton told the BBC: “I think that people who backed the Conservatives under the centrist, inclusive vision of Ruth Davidson will be appalled at the Farage-esque antics of Russell Findlay, it is why Jamie Greene sensationally left the Conservatives to join the Liberal Democrats, the first person to move wholesale between political parties in the history of devolution.

“Jamie is being joined by countless volunteers and activists and voters who have abandoned what they see as the shrivelled husk of the Conservative party that has lost its way, that has been part of the problem that we face.

“And they’re coming in big numbers to our vision, a positive vision of change with fairness in its heart, which delivers that GP appointment the first time of asking, a dentist near you, fixing your child’s education, fixing our ferry fleet, dualling our roads and driving down the cost of living.”

A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “Alex Cole-Hamilton has a screw loose, which explains why he enthusiastically voted for Nicola Sturgeon’s gender reforms.

“We’re focused on taking the fight to the SNP and Labour. The Lib Dems are irrelevant.”

SNP MSP Emma Roddick said: “The SNP is delivering on people’s priorities in government and are focused on securing a fresh start with independence by winning an SNP majority next May.”