• Cole-Hamilton: Last chance for Parliament to address ferry fiasco
• Greene: Scottish Government must get a grip on MV Glen Sannox fiasco
• “Dangerously naive” Green candidate wants to abolish prison
• Worst February ever for A&E waits
• Greene comments on defence jobs warnings

Cole-Hamilton: Last chance for Parliament to address ferry fiasco

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that this is the “last chance” for MSPs to convene at Holyrood and find a solution to Scotland’s acute ferry crisis, which has seen multiple vessels out of service all at once.

His call comes ahead of the Scottish Parliament officially dissolving for this year’s election on Thursday morning.

Four major ferries have been called in for technical works in the last few weeks, leaving several key routes almost entirely unserved and cutting people off from supplies, services and jobs — and just yesterday, CalMac cancelled two services because the just-reintroduced Glen Sannox is experiencing fuel pump problems.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

That so many ferries have been forced into repairs at the same time is an outrage, and a sorry demonstration of the SNP’s dire neglect of the ferry fleet.

The point of having a Scottish Parliament is to be able to tackle the problems facing our country, but the SNP have refused to come back to Holyrood to sort out this fiasco.

Liberal Democrats believe that parliament should be the place to get things done for people. This is the last chance for John Swinney to come back to Holyrood and help these communities through the crisis the SNP have left them to face.

Alan Reid, Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Argyll and Bute, added:

As someone who was themselves nearly left stranded by the recent breakdowns, I want to see the Scottish government step up and sort this crisis out.

While it is good news that MV Lord of the Isles is set to return to service, this near-collapse of the fleet has left folk who depend on ferries worried that the same could happen again with little or no warning.

The ferries fiasco is the result of 19 years of incompetent and unaccountable government under the SNP. As Scotland prepares to pass judgment on his legacy, John Swinney has a chance to prove that he cares more about coastal and island communities than he does about his own re-election campaign.

Whether or not he reconvenes parliament, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have a plan to fix our broken ferry system and mak(e sure the government is held to account for its performance. That’s what we’re offering Scots the chance to vote for on 7th May.

Greene: Scottish Government must get a grip on MV Glen Sannox fiasco

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Jamie Greene has called on the SNP to finally get to grips with the troubled MV Glen Sannox ferry service between Troon and Arran.

The Glen Sannox has been put out of action again with reported engine trouble, described by CalMac as a “recurring technical issue,” leaving coastal and island communities stranded.

The vessel has been plagued with problems and cancellations since finally coming into service in 2025, seven years later than scheduled and four times over budget.

Mr Greene, the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Inverclyde, urged the Scottish Government to abandon its ad hoc approach to Scotland’s ferries.

At the Scottish Parliament election, voters across Scotland can use their peach regional ballot paper to elect a Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP committed to improving local transport links and getting Scotland moving again.

In the next Parliament, Scottish Liberal Democrats will push for a new Ferries Bill to guarantee service for island communities, new strict vessel replacement requirements, and expanding the compensation scheme to cover many more victims of the SNP’s ferries fiasco.

Jamie Greene said:

Hearing that the MV Glen Sannox is out of action will further frustrate the communities and businesses that depend on this essential route, who have already been let down repeatedly by the SNP.

From launching vessels with painted on windows, failing to deal with cancellations, and putting in place an inadequate compensation scheme, the Scottish Government has shown it cannot be trusted with this essential transport infrastructure.

At the election, voters have the chance to tell the SNP that they’ve run out of patience and back the Scottish Liberal Democrats, particularly on the second peach regional ballot paper, to deliver a real plan to get Scotland moving again.

“Dangerously naive” Green candidate wants to abolish prison

Responding to Scottish Green candidate Kate Nevens calling for the complete abolition of prisons, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said:

This is a dangerously naive view of the world. The first priority needs to be public safety and there are some people who are just too dangerous to be walking the streets.

To reduce the number of people in Scotland’s bursting prisons, we need to speed up the processing of those who are stuck in prison waiting for a trial. We also need investment in tough community-based sentences which are proven to lower reoffending so there is a credible alternative to imprisonment for low level offences. This should sit alongside better education in prison so that those who are locked up do not become repeat visitors.

We also need to speed up completion of the long-overdue replacement of integral parts of the prison estate which has dragged on for far too long under the SNP.

Worst February ever for A&E waits

Responding to new figures showing that the numbers of people waiting more than 4, 8 and 12 hours at A&E in February were the highest ever for that month, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

We are disturbingly used to huge waits at A&E, which shows just how commonplace the SNP’s failures have become.

The only way to bring down waits is to fix the broken care system – that is what Scottish Liberal Democrats have been saying from the very start.

There are not enough beds in A&E because there are no longer the beds in longer-term wards to move patients to. Too many beds in longer-term wards are occupied by people who are medically ready to leave but can’t because the shortages of care workers and care packages won’t let them.

That’s why I am up in Wick today, speaking to Margaret MacGill, who was in hospital for over 14 months, when she should have been home in 14 weeks.

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

Greene comments on defence jobs warnings

Responding to warnings reported in The Herald newspaper from defence trade body ADS that Scotland could miss out on thousands of high-quality defence jobs as a result of skills shortages, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene said:

The SNP have been repeatedly squeamish about encouraging opportunities in the defence sector. That has often led to them throwing the potential for job creation and economic growth under the bus.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly highlighted the shortage of skills needed for sectors like defence, from maths and physics to computing and technical education.

Scotland deserves better than this; we need to throw the weight and levers of government behind businesses that can help us succeed in industries like defence.

That’s why my party would make defence a pillar of a new industrial strategy, making sure Scottish firms are poised to win a fair share of increasing UK Government defence spending.

If you like the sound of that, you should vote for us on your second, peach, regional ballot paper at May’s election.