Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has  declared that momentum has given the Liberal Democrats the upper hand in the snap general election.

Since the announcement on Tuesday of a snap election 8,000 people have joined the party with membership more than double than what it was before the election in 2015.  The party also raised £500,000 in just 48 hours.

In an email to members, Willie wrote:

Nobody was expecting the announcement on Tuesday but the calling of the general election has given the Liberal Democrats real momentum. A staggering  8000 new members joined the party in the 48 hours after the election was called as people have flocked to us in a bid to change the direction of this country. No other party has seen such a surge.

The upcoming election comes on top of the 30 council by-elections that the Liberal Democrats have gained since last year, including in Scotland. And who could forget that historic by-election victory in Richmond, overturning a Tory majority of 23,000 to be the voice against the Conservative hard Brexit.

Former Labour and Conservative MPs are considering joining us and some indeed have. Our crystal clear platform of being pro-UK and pro-EU puts us on the side of the majority of Scotland. No other party occupies that position. On the doors I have seen household after household dismayed at the constitutionally obsessed SNP and switching to us for a better future.

The next seven weeks are our chance to see the fantastic result we gained in Richmond replicated across the whole of the country. Let’s show the world that Britain is open, tolerant and united.