• Cole-Hamilton responds to embargoed A&E analysis
• Cole-Hamilton comments on drops in cancer survival
• Cole-Hamilton comments on avoidable mortality
• Cole-Hamilton responds to SNP missing key health target
• Welsh Lib Dems respond to RCEM report – nearly 1,000 deaths linked to long Emergency Department waits in Wales in 2025
• Greene responds to Malcolm Offord homophobia report
• EU-Australia deal: a strategic milestone for Europe’s security and prosperity

Cole-Hamilton responds to embargoed A&E analysis

Responding to new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which reveals that it could take more than 200 years to reduce the number of people waiting 12 hours or more at A&Es, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

People never used to wait so long at A&E, but the SNP have turned 12 hour waits into a terrifying new norm.

The only way to cut these waits is to fix the broken social care system because every night there are 2,000 people marooned in hospital unnecessarily. They are medically ready to leave, but there are not enough care packages and care workers to get them home. It’s a care bottleneck that means long waits in A&E, ambulances stacking up outside and longer waits when you dial 999.

In May, you should back the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach, regional ballot paper to reward care workers and attract more people into the profession to free up vital space in A&Es.

Cole-Hamilton comments on drops in cancer survival

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has said that Scotland deserves a government that will “move mountains for cancer patients”, following a drop in the survival rates for certain types of cancer.

New figures published today show:

• The one-year survival rate for leukaemias dropped from 77.9% to 75.4% between 2013-17 and 2018-22
• The one-year survival rate for head and neck cancer fell from 75.2% to 72.6% between 2013-17 and 2018-22
• The five-year survival rate for leukaemias decreased from 61.9% to 57.5% between 2013-17 and 2018-22
• The five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphomas dropped from 68.0% to 64.1%
• A huge range in survival rates for the period 2018-22, varying from 23.1% for pancreatic cancer to 97.9% for testicular cancer

The Scottish Government’s standard states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer than 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment.

This target has never been met since it was introduced in 2012.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

It is alarming to see a drop in survival rates for certain types of cancer.

Much more needs to be done to improve care, but all we have seen is an SNP government never once meeting a key cancer waiting times target in the fourteen years since it was introduced.

Scotland deserves a government that will move mountains for cancer patients.

To boost survival rates, Scottish Liberal Democrats would cut waiting times, detect and treat cancer early and roll out a new national lung cancer screening programme capable of saving hundreds of lives a year. We would also enable US scientists to finish their cancer research here, instead of letting Trump cancel all their good work.

Cole-Hamilton comments on avoidable mortality

Responding to new figures which show that Scotland continues to have a higher avoidable mortality rate than England and Wales, with 1 in 4 deaths considered avoidable in 2024 and the rates in the most deprived areas quadruple those in the least deprived, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

The SNP simply cannot be trusted with your health.

They have allowed waits for cancer, care packages, mental health and A&E to spiral out of control.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to get people the first-rate healthcare they need. We will cut waiting times and make sure you’re able to see your GP, NHS dentist or mental health professional when you need them.

If you like the sound of that, it’s time to back us on your second, peach, regional ballot paper in May.

Cole-Hamilton responds to SNP missing key health target

Responding to the news that the SNP will miss a key target to eradicate long waits for treatment on the NHS, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

The SNP are heading into this election with a series of broken promises, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

They cannot be trusted with your health. They do not deserve a single vote from anyone who’s struggling to get the vital care they need.

After nineteen years of uninterrupted SNP failure, Scotland deserves change with fairness at its heart. If you like the sound of that, you should back the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach, regional ballot paper.

Welsh Lib Dems respond to RCEM report – nearly 1,000 deaths linked to long Emergency Department waits in Wales in 2025

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

These figures are a national scandal. Nearly a thousand people dying after waiting over 12 hours in A&E reflects a system that is fundamentally broken and causing avoidable deaths.

For too long, the focus has been on the front door of hospitals, when the real crisis is at the back door. Patients cannot be discharged because social care is overstretched, beds remain blocked, and A&E departments become dangerously overcrowded.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have been the only political party focusing on fixing social care. We secured an extra £30 million for social care last year, and in Powys, that investment has already helped cut delayed discharges by a third. But this is only a drop in the ocean; we need to go much further and faster.

If we are serious about ending these avoidable deaths, the next Welsh Government must properly fund social care and take a whole-system approach to fixing patient flow and funding social care properly will be a red line in any negotiations we hold with other parties.

Greene responds to Malcolm Offord homophobia report

Responding to news that Reform UK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord regaled a rugby club dinner with a homophobic comedy routine mocking George Michael’s grieving partner, Scottish Liberal Democrat Jamie Greene MSP said:

As a gay politician, I’ve been on the receiving end of some fairly unpleasant commentary over the years.

You almost come to expect it from anonymous trolls on social media. You don’t, however, hear it from the mouths of political party leaders.

I haven’t heard the joke in question. Perhaps Lord Offord can share it with the rest of the country in his next TV debate.

Sadly, nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the bile emanating from the mouth of Reform; one wonders how much lower they might sink.

EU-Australia deal: a strategic milestone for Europe’s security and prosperity

The Renew Europe Group welcomes today’s conclusion of negotiations for an ambitious EU-Australia free trade agreement and the signing of a security and defence partnership – a powerful signal that Europe is building the alliances it needs in an uncertain world.

This agreement is a major step in the EU’s strategy to diversify its trade relationships and strengthen its strategic autonomy. Australia is a like-minded partner that shares our commitment to multilateralism, the rule of law, and a rules-based international order. At a time of acute geopolitical competition, deepening ties with Indo-Pacific democracies is not just economically smart – it is a strategic necessity.

Karin Karlsbro (Liberalerna, Sweden), Renew coordinator for the Committee on trade (INTA) stated:

Europe cannot afford to close its doors. By finalising the trade agreement with Australia, we show that cooperation, not protectionism, is the way forward. Open trade between democracies is Europe’s strongest answer to global uncertainty.

Barry Cowen (Fianna Fáil, Ireland), member of the Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand, emphasised:

I welcome this agreement as a positive step forward in strengthening the EU’s relationship with a trusted and like-minded partner. For Ireland and across the EU, agriculture is central, and this deal creates new opportunities for agri-food exports, building on our existing €2.3 billion trade surplus with Australia, while maintaining important safeguards for sensitive sectors like beef, lamb and dairy. It shows that when there is a genuine level playing field, European agriculture can compete and succeed.

The trade agreement opens significant opportunities across key European industries. EU exports are expected to grow by up to 33% over the next decade, with the automotive sector set to benefit particularly strongly – tariff elimination is projected to boost motor vehicle exports by up to 52%.

On agriculture, the EU already runs a trade surplus with Australia – this trade agreement builds on that advantage, opening further market access for EU exporters while carefully calibrated protections for sensitive agricultural sectors and robust safeguard mechanisms ensure that European farmers’ interests remain fully defended. Renew Europe also welcomes the binding commitments on ILO core labour standards and the Paris Agreement, which guarantee that greater trade goes hand in hand with higher social and environmental standards.

The EU has also secured access to Australian critical raw materials – lithium, manganese, aluminium – reducing our dependence on single suppliers, building more resilient supply chains, and lessening our vulnerability to geopolitical coercion.

The security and defence partnership complements these economic ties with a robust institutional framework for cooperation on cyber security, hybrid threats, maritime security and emerging technologies – delivering security through partnership.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP, Germany), chair of the committee on defence and security (SEDE), commented :

The security and defence chapter of the EU–Australia agreement and the whole agreement itself is a timely and strategic step forward, particularly in times of geopolitical turmoil, when long-standing partnerships are being severely shaken and existing alliances are being called into question.

In a more unstable world, like-minded partners must deepen cooperation not only on trade, but also on resilience, defence industry and security. This agreement shows that Europe is serious about building strong, reliable partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.

With negotiations now concluded, Renew will take its time to scrutinise the agreement.