Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has predicted his party is poised to take a “big step forward” in the Holyrood election, as vote counting continues across the country.
Mr Cole-Hamilton arrived at the Edinburgh count at the Royal Highland Centre on Friday morning, accompanied by his wife Gill and daughter Darcy, to a warm reception from supporters. He expressed confidence that the Lib Dems would secure a historic victory in the Edinburgh Northern constituency, a remarkable turnaround given the party trailed the SNP by around 20,000 votes in the old Edinburgh Northern and Leith seat in the 2021 election.
Earlier, Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur became the first MSP to be returned to Holyrood, winning a record 70% of the vote in his constituency – the largest share ever recorded in a Scottish Parliament election.
However, Mr Cole-Hamilton acknowledged disappointment in Shetland, where the party lost its long-held seat to the SNP. Despite this setback, he insisted the overall picture for the Lib Dems in Scotland remains positive.
“It’s still really early and, of course, nobody’s even really looked at the regional list ballots, but it’s clear we’re winning in parts of the country we’ve never won before, and also very hopeful about regional gains as well,” he said. “It’s a very mixed bag across the country. Obviously, some really odd results happening, but for the Lib Dems, no question, it’s a good day.”
He added: “We’re encouraged by a lot of the data we’re seeing. I mean it’s going to be a big step forward for the Lib Dems.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton also reiterated his firm stance against any coalition with the SNP. He stated that if John Swinney is returned as First Minister, the Lib Dems would engage with the SNP government from the opposition benches on an “issue-by-issue” basis to secure concessions on the party’s priority areas.
“I’ve been clear from the start, and I stand by that, that there will be no coalition with the SNP,” he told reporters. “I think for all the questions that Scotland currently faces, the answer to none of them is a third decade of SNP administration, and so we’re happy to rule that out.”
On the prospect of Mr Swinney returning as First Minister, Mr Cole-Hamilton added: “If he gets to Bute House, then we will be prepared to be grown up and work on an issue-by-issue, budget-by-budget basis.”
