Tag Archives: Alex Cole-Hamilton

The Voice

Cole-Hamilton: Violence against women and girls demands action now

By The Voice | Thu 3rd September 2026 - 9:30 pm

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP urged the government to act with urgency to tackle violence against women and girls, as he stated that it should not take victims, including those like Vikki Solomon and Stacey Hunter, to lose their lives before proper action is taken.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has repeatedly pressed the government over their failure to implement important domestic abuse protections, which are still not in force despite being passed by parliament five years ago.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for:

  • Homes with a history of domestic violence should be properly flagged for priority

…

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The Voice

Cole-Hamilton responds to Swinney on BBC Radio

By The Voice | Wed 2nd September 2026 - 9:30 pm

Responding to John Swinney’s interview on BBC Radio Scotland, in which he failed to explain how his plans to cut the number of health boards did not amount to a centralisation, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

John Swinney has not explained how these plans are any different to the SNP’s previous centralisation projects. Rural communities have been seriously harmed by those schemes.

It is also not at all clear how exactly these plans would save money or help front line services that are struggling right now, including social care.

Communities should be in charge of decisions that directly affect them,

…

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Mark Valladares

1 September 2026 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 1st September 2026 - 11:00 pm
  • McArthur sets out opposition to SNP’s food price consultation
  • Rennie responds to CalMac ferry costs rising by £20 million
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to Programme for Government
  • “What happens when the second fire starts?” – Baxter challenges Scottish Government over wildfire readiness

McArthur sets out opposition to SNP’s food price consultation

Responding to the Scottish Government launching a consultation on capping food prices, Scottish Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

Farmers are warning that this will push them out of business, while retailers say it could lead to job losses.

The SNP love populist policy ideas which sound plausible and then backfire horribly.

What’s frustrating is that this kind of policy making ignores genuine solutions like Liberal Democrat calls for an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into potential profiteering by supermarkets and food multinationals.

We also want to see more support for farmers facing rising energy bills and costly red tape, so that Scottish farmers can get great value food on tables.

Rennie responds to CalMac ferry costs rising by £20 million

Responding to the project management costs for the construction of new CalMac ferries being built in Turkey rising by £20 million, with delays expected for all three vessels, Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

Islanders and coastal towns will be looking at this news and thinking, here we go again.

They may also be wondering why SNP ministers can approve millions of pounds more for CMAL, but water down a promise of proper compensation for communities affected by ferry disruption.

John Swinney must set out a detailed programme for ferry construction so that islanders finally get the services they deserve.

Cole-Hamilton responds to Programme for Government

Responding to the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

Remote and rural communities will be particularly concerned that when the SNP promise reform, they actually mean taking away local services, removing local decision making and centralising towards Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Right now, ambulances crews are queuing up outside A&E, patients are being treated in corridors and NHS staff are worked to the point of burnout. Reform is necessary but it needs to have their interests at its heart. Big upheaval lasting years could deliver distraction instead of change. If you are a pregnant woman in Caithness or a cancer patient in the Borders, will this actually improve your care?

We were strong critics of the centralisation of the police, and in the early years we were shown to be right and sadly people lost their lives.

We are in favour of communities being in charge and are instinctively nervous about the proposed merger of health boards.

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Mark Valladares

1 September 2026 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 1st September 2026 - 10:30 pm

A big day in Scottish politics today, and the day’s press releases reflect that…

  • Cole-Hamilton: Programme for government must match Scotland’s talent
  • Chou Turvey responds to police officer illness and injury
  • Chou Turvey responds to SNP ministers failing to fund sexual offences court
  • Harley: Swinney must deliver for NHS in programme for government

Cole-Hamilton: Programme for government must match Scotland’s talent

Speaking ahead of John Swinney’s Programme for Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

The SNP’s programmes for government often read like a wish list to Santa that never got posted, leaving us to think of all the things that never got delivered.

Scotland deserves a government that will match the talent, creativity and ambition of its people.

The priorities of John Swinney’s agenda must be: fixing the crisis in social care to fix the NHS, using ever lever at the Scottish Government’s disposal to help with the cost of living, finally dualling the A9, ending the ferries fiasco, and getting Scottish education back to its best.

From the opposition benches, with our newly expanded group of MSPs, we will be the grown-ups of this parliament, providing strong and effective criticism, hunting for agreement where we can, to get things done for the people of Scotland.

Chou Turvey responds to police officer illness and injury

Responding to embargoed reporting by 1919 Magazine, which highlights that almost 3,000 Scottish police officers are unable to carry out their full operational duties due to illness or injury, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP said:

This is a staggering number of police officers who are unable to do their full job.

Many of these officers are struggling because of the spiralling demand on their time and the failure of the SNP government to properly support them.

Ministers need to stop asking police officers to perform the impossible. I will be using my voice in parliament to make sure the government finally steps up and meets the needs of officers and staff.

Chou Turvey responds to SNP ministers failing to fund sexual offences court

Responding to reporting in the Scotsman that SNP ministers have failed to bring forward any funding for their flagship sexual offences court, which they said would help cut the backlog of court cases, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP said:

The SNP have an exceptionally poor track record of making lots of commitments in legislation and then failing to do the practical work to implement them.

The sexual offences court is at risk of suffering the same fate as greater protections for domestic abuse victims, protections which were promised in law more than five years ago, but which have yet to be implemented.

I am concerned that the SNP’s approach to tackling violence against women and girls is a fundamentally superficial one: warm words that grab headlines but go nowhere.

Ministers must set out a timeline for the creation of a specialist sexual offences court. They must also clarify whether additional resource will be given to ensure the law is implemented.

Harley: Swinney must deliver for NHS in programme for government

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP has said John Swinney must deliver for the NHS in his programme for government, as new figures revealed the worst ever A&E waiting times for July, high delayed discharges, thousands of people waiting more than a year for mental health care and increasing vacancies among nursing and midwifery staff.

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Mark Valladares

29-31 August 2026 – the long weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 31st August 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • Baxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament
  • Cole-Hamilton sets out expectations for Programme for Government
  • New record for sewage: Over 100,000 “disgusting” sewage dumps in 2025
  • Harley responds to hospital flow plan

Baxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament

As parliament returns from its summer recess, Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Andrew Baxter will lead a debate on wildfires, following the devastating blaze that raged across the Cairngorms for more than a month.

On Tuesday, MSPs will debate a motion brought forward by the Scottish Liberal Democrat member for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

As well as recognising the increasing threat of wildfires in Scotland, the motion highlights the Scottish Government’s flawed response to the Cairngorms blaze.

More than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest were destroyed in the fire. It led to the evacuation of residents in Nethy Bridge, with smoke spreading all the way out to Aberdeen.

Ministers delayed chairing of the meeting of their Resilience Room, convened at times of emergency, by more than a week. When it was eventually held, the SNP government refused an offer of UK military support to help tackle the wildfire.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have also published a dossier exposing the state of the country’s fire service.

This revealed that:

  • Scottish Fire and Rescue had to pay almost £6 million in overtime payments last year, up by a third in the last five years from £4.5 million in 2021/22.
  • Mental health absences have skyrocketed, from 4,219 days lost in 2021/22 to 12,132 days in 2025/26.
  • Almost a third of full-time equivalent retained firefighter posts are unfilled.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for a cross-party summit to learn the lessons of the response to the Cairngorms wildfire and to ensure that there is a concrete action plan going forward.

Commenting ahead of the debate, Andrew Baxter MSP said:

The Cairngorms wildfire has left an apocalyptic and desolate imprint on one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

It was not a one-off, freak weather event. Wildfires are now happening annually in Scotland; we need a government that is far more prepared, far more proactive when the next one inevitably strikes.

The Cairngorms fire was also the first major test of the new action plan that the government paraded earlier this year, but the unacceptable failings of their response show that this plan must be looked at again.

It’s also clear that the fire service doesn’t have the resources it desperately needs to deal with the growing threat of wildfires. Mental health absences among staff and a burgeoning overtime bill are only making things worse.

I hope that the Scottish Government agrees to our call for a cross-party summit. That’s the first, essential step in working with fire teams, local authorities, farmers, gamekeepers, businesses and more to prevent a devastating repeat of this summer.

Cole-Hamilton sets out expectations for Programme for Government

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today said that the First Minister should be focused on four key areas in his programme for government: delivering first-rate healthcare, help with the cost of living, getting Scotland’s roads and ferries moving and returning Scottish education to its best.

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Mark Valladares

28 August 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 28th August 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • Green responds to independence bill
  • Almost 500 repairs needed in Scottish police buildings
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to SNP’s first 100 days failure
  • Chamberlain responds to serial rapist police officer passing vetting checks

Green responds to independence bill

Responding to the Scottish Government publishing a draft referendum bill on independence, Scottish Liberal Democrat public service reform spokesperson David Green MSP said:

Yawn.

Almost 500 repairs needed in Scottish police buildings

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP has today urged the SNP to “wake up” to the pressures facing the justice system, as she revealed that there are almost 500 repair works needed in police buildings across the country.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to Police Scotland asked for the detail of repair works raised in condition surveys.

These surveys outline the physical state of police buildings and any work that requires attention.

The request found that:

  • There are 460 works requiring attention in 175 police buildings across Scotland.
  • 57 of these works related to fire safety.
  • 33 related to security, while 28 related to roofing.
  • Police stations in Glasgow have some of the highest number of repairs requiring attention, with 10 needed at the London Road Station, 10 at Meiklewood Road Complex and 8 at Govan Police Station.
  • The Scottish Police College in Tulliallan has 17 repairs requiring attention

The 2026 condition surveys estimated that these works would cost £20,671,609.

The request also found that an investment of £510 million is required to maintain and upgrade the police estate in line with modern policing needs.

In 2024, Police Scotland shut down its Forfar HQ due to concerns around the building’s structural safety, water ingress and potentially dangerous airborne yeasts and moulds. Lying empty ever since, there are now plans to sell the building, but there is no indication of when it will go on the market.

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Gavin Stollar

Britain should confront history honestly, not selectively

By Gavin Stollar | Sun 19th July 2026 - 8:59 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s recent article on LDV is right about one thing: Palestine should be run by Palestinians. Israelis, likewise, should determine their own future in peace and security. But that aspiration is not advanced by presenting a highly selective reading of history that assigns Britain primary responsibility for a century of conflict while overlooking the choices made by Palestinian leaders and the wider Arab world.

The central premise of his article is that Britain deliberately prevented Palestinian self-determination and that today’s conflict flows principally from decisions taken during the Mandate. That is a powerful political narrative. It is also an incomplete and misleading one.

The Balfour Declaration did not promise a Jewish national home in a political vacuum. It also committed Britain to safeguarding the civil and religious rights of the non-Jewish communities in Palestine. It reflected international recognition, later endorsed by the League of Nations, that the Jewish people had legitimate national aspirations in their historic homeland alongside the rights of the Arab population. The tragedy of the Mandate was not simply British policy. It was the failure of successive leaders on all sides to embrace compromise.

Alex Cole-Hamilton argues that Britain denied Palestinians democratic representation. Yet he overlooks the repeated rejection by Arab leaders of proposals that would have created Arab and Jewish states living side by side. The Peel Commission in 1937 and the UN Partition Plan in 1947 both offered opportunities for two states. Neither was accepted by the Arab leadership. Those decisions, no less than Britain’s actions, shaped the decades that followed.

His call for Palestine to be run by Palestinians also raises an important contemporary question. Mahmoud Abbas is now in the twenty-first year of what was intended to be a four-year presidential term. Palestinians have not elected a president since 2005 or a legislature since 2006. The absence of democratic accountability within the Palestinian Authority cannot simply be attributed to Britain or to Israel. Indeed, this underlines the importance of the Liberal Democrats’ long-standing support for free and fair Palestinian elections as an essential step towards establishing democratic legitimacy, strengthening accountable institutions, and creating the conditions for a lasting two-state peace.

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Mark Valladares

4 June 2026 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Thu 4th June 2026 - 11:55 pm

Cole-Hamilton presses Swinney to clean up Scottish politics

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today called for an inquiry into the actions of former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell and urged John Swinney to adopt key measures to clean up Scottish politics.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

The most regrettable aspect of this whole sorry saga around the SNP’s finances is the erosion of public trust and faith in politics it creates. There are still big unanswered questions around all of this. This is why we need a parliamentary inquiry but the government are blocking it.

Just like they’ve blocked other

…

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Mark Valladares

2 June 2026 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 2nd June 2026 - 11:00 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton calls for SNP inquiry and Sturgeon to assist cops
  • Transport Sec pushed on A9 dualling committee

Cole-Hamilton calls for SNP inquiry and Sturgeon to assist cops

Responding to Peter Murrell’s hearing today and confirmation that the majority of items bought with stolen funds have not been located, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

While there is a comical note to Peter Murrell purchasing shampoo and conditioner for his ill-gotten campervan, it is extremely serious that the SNP Chief Executive was routinely producing fraudulent invoices, especially when the party had received considerable sums of public money over the years.

This is just one reason

…

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Mark Valladares

2 June 2026 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 2nd June 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • Rennie puts questions to minister over Lower Melville Wood fire
  • Cole-Hamilton slams SNP for more miserable health figures
  • Youth unemployment in Wales soars nine times faster than Scotland as Welsh Lib Dems warn of “Lost Generation”

Rennie puts questions to minister over Lower Melville Wood fire

North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie has today written to the new community safety minister, Kirsten Oswald MSP, to raise more than a dozen questions about the Lower Melville Wood fire and how the incident was handled. He has also called for a public meeting to discuss the future of the site.

Following the major fire which broke out at the Lower Melville Wood waste processing and transfer facility three weeks ago, Willie Rennie has written to the Scottish Government’s new community safety minister to raise a number of questions which have been raised with him by people in the area around the fire who have been worst affected, and which he wants to be addressed by an investigation into the fire.

These questions include:

  • What was the initial cause of the fire?
  • Why was the fire able to spread across the compartments to the neighbouring waste when those compartments were designed to stop spread?
  • Did other fires on the site in recent months trigger an upgrade to fire prevention measures?
  • Why was there so much waste stored on the site?
  • Why was the fire judged to be level one?
  • Why was it not felt necessary to have local, mobile air quality monitors?

He has also questioned the communications to local people throughout the incident, which he described as ‘poor’.

Willie Rennie said:

The fire was a major incident and I am grateful to the emergency services and other staff who have been involved in dealing with it. It has been difficult, methodical work to contain the fire and dowse a large volume of smouldering material. While I have tried to get answers for local people, I believed that the focus should be on dealing with the incident.

However, now that the emergency services have returned the site to Cireco, I want to turn to an investigation into this incident. This needs to be carried out thoroughly and robustly but also as quickly as possible. Local people also believe that it should be carried out independently.

Throughout the fire many of the people living closest to it – the people who were hit hardest by smoke, exacerbated medical conditions, and road closures – felt that they were left in the dark, without clear communications from the authorities dealing with this incident. They are looking for explanations and assurances, and they deserve to get them.

That is why I have written to the Scottish Government to set out what I believe needs to be included in the investigation. I have also made clear that there needs to be a public meeting to address these issue directly with the local communities.

Cole-Hamilton slams SNP for more miserable health figures

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has criticised the SNP for presiding over thousands of people waiting hours at A&E, huge numbers of patients marooned in hospital, long waits for mental health care and worrying vacancies amid nursing and midwifery staff.

New figures published today reveal:

On A&E waiting times, Alex said:

The fact that there were virtually no 12 hour waits when the SNP first took power shows just how much they have failed.

To cut these horrific waits, we need to fix the broken care system. The gaps in community care are a bottleneck that’s causing 2,000 people a night to be marooned in hospital when they don’t need or want to be there.

You simply cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care.

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Mark Valladares

11 May 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 11th May 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • Lib Dems – Starmer’s reset speech tone deaf on Wales
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to Swinney writing to opposition parties

Lib Dems – Starmer’s reset speech tone deaf on Wales

Commenting on Keir Starmer’s ‘reset speech’, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

Keir Starmer’s speech today showed just how out of touch Labour has become with communities in Wales. Despite years of Labour failure in Cardiff Bay and last week’s election results, the Prime Minister did not even mention Wales, let alone offer the fresh thinking people are crying out for.

To make matters worse, Labour has rubbed salt in the wounds of

…

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The Voice

Sunday fun: the uninvited guest at Ed Davey photocall

By The Voice | Sun 10th May 2026 - 10:55 am

Yesterday, Ed Davey came up to Edinburgh to celebrate our very good election results

He and Alex Cole-Hamilton filmed a video and had an unexpected guest.

Enjoy.

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Mark Valladares

18-19 April 2026 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 19th April 2026 - 11:42 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton urges voters to postal vote for Scot Lib Dems on peach ballot paper
  • Cut the rural cost of living and help farmers to flourish
  • Reid hits out as ministers drop fines for poor ferry performance

Cole-Hamilton urges voters to postal vote for Scot Lib Dems on peach ballot paper

Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to a climbing wall in Edinburgh to urge voters voting by post to reach for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the peach regional ballot paper, saying that more Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs will get more good things done in the next session of Parliament.

At the event, he highlighted his party’s record of achievements over the past five years which included:

  • £178m to support businesses through rates relief, including a package over 3 years to help licensed premises like pubs, restaurants, hotels, music venues, licensed clubs and night clubs – linchpins of the high street that have suffered in the cost of living crisis and deserve better. There was also £4m for self-catering businesses to cap their increases and provide a bridge to the next revaluation.
  • £70m for colleges – equivalent to a 10% uplift on last year’s budget.
  • £20m for social care so providers have the funding they need to lift workers’ pay to the Real Living Wage.
  • £9.4m for hospices to help them attract and retain staff by mirroring NHS pay rates.
  • £5m more for the Investing in Communities Fund, keeping open projects, services and activities in disadvantaged communities.
  • £7.5m to speed up autism and ADHD assessments.
  • £2.5m to back young entrepreneurs.
  • £7.1m for islands-specific investment, with money to remove peak ferry fares and a commitment to kickstart a new accelerator model.
  • Facilities to help new mums and babies born addicted to drugs
  • Cash for flood-stricken families and businesses in Fife when the government initially turned its back.
  • Suzanne’s Law and Michelle’s Law, strengthening the rights of victims and their families.
  • Specialist support for long Covid, ME and chronic fatigue.
  • A future for Corseford College for young people with complex needs.
  • Money restored to the housing budget after it was cut by the Greens and SNP.
  • The right for family carers to earn more without being penalised.
  • Work restarted on Edinburgh’s Eye Hospital and the Belford in Fort William.
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Mark Valladares

Scottish Liberal Democrats launch manifesto focused on health, cost of living, transport and education

By Mark Valladares | Sat 18th April 2026 - 7:30 am

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has launched his party’s manifesto focused on the issues that matter most to people right now, and made a plea to voters to back his party on the peach regional ballot to deliver change with fairness at its heart.

The manifesto can be found here.

Speaking at the Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy where he baked peach tarts for journalists, Mr Cole-Hamilton set out the party’s ten target constituency seats which would enable it to block the SNP from winning a parliamentary majority as well as the party’s four key priorities for the election:

  • Delivering first-rate health care by embedding 900 new multidisciplinary patient-facing staff like nurses, physios and mental health professionals in GP practices and investing £400m into care over the next three years in order to fix the NHS.
  • Helping you with the cost of living by insulating cold homes with an emergency £100m insulation programme, using Scottish renewable energy to drive down household bills and increasing support for unpaid carers by £400 a year.
  • Getting Scotland moving again – by driving progress on major projects such as dualling the A9 and tunnels for Shetland, passing a Ferries Bill that will end the SNP’s ferries fiasco for good and making £12m available immediately to compensate islanders and coastal communities.
  • Getting Scottish education back to its best by hiring 2,000 more pupil support assistants and banning phones from schools.

    • Speaking at the launch, Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

    Scotland has so much going for it but right now, it feels like our country simply isn’t working.

    Household bills are soaring. There are long waits to see your GP. The SNP’s ferries fiasco is a national embarrassment and Scottish education just isn’t what it used to be.

    We know you feel let down by the other parties. We think Scotland deserves better than this. But it needs to be change with fairness at its heart.

    We believe in fairness for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from. That’s why we have a realistic plan to get things done, focused on the things that matter most like access to healthcare and the cost of living.

    Let me be straight with you. You have two votes. In many constituencies we are on the verge of winning against the SNP but wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.

    Scotland deserves better. And with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.

    On tackling the challenges facing health and care he said:

    We will get you faster access to GPs and more local staff, driving early diagnosis and bringing down waits, and getting people back to work. It will be the equivalent of giving every GP practice the benefit of an additional member of clinical staff.

    We will rejuvenate local healthcare facilities and introduce a new Fair Deal for Rural Healthcare. We will roll out a national lung cancer screening programme, recruit and retain more NHS dentists, create walk-in mental health services, and our 10-year workforce plan for the NHS and care will take the pressure off overwhelmed services and get the right staff in the right place.

    You can’t fix the NHS unless you fix care – not with 2,000 people a night stuck in hospital when they don’t need or want to be there, costing the NHS over a million pounds a day. That’s why we will reward care workers with a new career ladder and halve the problem of delayed discharge by investing £400m into care over the next three years. We will increase the Carer Support Payment by over £400 a year for unpaid carers, and give every young carer someone who they can turn to for help balancing learning, life and caring for their loved one.

    That is how we deliver first-rate health and care services.

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Mark Valladares

13-15 April 2026 – the glitch-affected press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Thu 16th April 2026 - 11:25 pm

With apologies to all, as it seems as though my primary e-mail account has decided to glitch, only accepting some but not all e-mails directed to it… here are some press releases that have been issued over the past few days that we missed…

  • Legislate to make schools smartphone free, says Cole-Hamilton
  • Scot Lib Dems comment on Green manifesto launch
  • Scottish Lib Dems launch plans to revive high streets
  • Scot Lib Dems warn of “farming fuel crisis” as red diesel prices soar

Legislate to make schools smartphone free, says Cole-Hamilton

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today set out how his party will legislate to make schools smartphone-free environments, as part of its plan to get Scottish education back to its best.

The party’s manifesto, to be published later this week, will enshrine the right of children to learn, and teachers to teach, by making every school a smartphone-free environment.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Education is the best investment we can make in our children’s potential and our country’s future.

But after 19 years of the SNP, Scottish education just isn’t what it used to be. Every week I meet families worried that their child’s additional support needs aren’t being met, worried their teenager is frequently absent or worried about the violence in their schools. Fights and bullying are captured on phones and spread like wildfire. Our children deserve better.

Scottish Liberal Democrats will legislate to make schools smartphone-free environments, so children can learn and teachers can teach. We need to make the cultural change that this requires – it’s just not fair to leave this up to headteachers and ministerial guidance any longer.

Studies show the link between problematic smartphone use, poor mental health and poor sleep amongst teens. Phones are a distraction, apps are built to be addictive and there are relentless notifications. The classroom ought to offer a break to our young people from all of that – a bit of peace and quiet to learn, to focus, and properly connect with classmates and teachers.

That’s why making schools smartphone free is an essential part of the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ plan to get Scottish education back to its best.

Scot Lib Dems comment on Green manifesto launch

Responding to the Scottish Greens manifesto launch, Scottish Liberal Democrat campaign chair Wendy Chamberlain said:

The Scottish Greens came very close to promising every voter a free puppy. There were so many freebies on show that it blew any hope of credibility.

In government the Greens were responsible for wasting millions on a bottle deposit scheme that fell apart, cut £200m from the housing budget in the middle of a housing crisis and pushing plans for marine areas that would have cost coastal communities their livelihoods.

Unless you want a repeat of the Green tail wagging the SNP dog you should vote for Scottish Liberal Democrats on your peach regional ballot. We will deliver change with fairness at its heart, after years of SNP-Green neglect.

Scottish Lib Dems launch plans to revive high streets

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene has today set out his party’s plans to support Scottish high streets, as he pledged to review vape shops, improve public transport and explore a new system of business rates.

After successfully securing £178 million for the year ahead to help businesses with crushing rates rises, Scottish Liberal Democrats are now setting out a series of measures to get high streets thriving.

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Mark Valladares

16 April 2026 – the press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 16th April 2026 - 11:05 pm
  • Chamberlain: Peach ballot key to holding SNP to account on secrecy and broken promises
  • Vote to cut the cost of living urges Scot Lib Dem leader
  • Scottish Lib Dems lay out manifesto plans to tackle violence against women
  • Greene: Tory downfall due to Findlay and Badenoch’s leadership

Chamberlain: Peach ballot key to holding SNP to account on secrecy and broken promises

Speaking ahead of the SNP’s manifesto launch, Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader and campaign chair Wendy Chamberlain MP has urged Scots to use their peach ballot paper to …

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Mark Valladares

14-15 April 2016 – the press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 15th April 2026 - 11:05 pm
  • Scot Lib Dems comment on Nigel Farage’s visit to Shetland
  • Abysmal A&E figures show SNP need to be removed from government

Scot Lib Dems comment on Nigel Farage’s visit to Shetland

Commenting on Nigel Farage’s flying visit to Shetland, Emma Macdonald Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate said:

Nigel Farage is welcome to visit Shetland the same as any tourist, but folk here will judge him on what he’s actually done for our islands.

Farage was on the fisheries committee in Brussels for years and barely made an appearance – then when there was a big debate on the fishing industry in the UK Parliament, led by

…

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Mark Valladares

11-12 April 2026 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 12th April 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • Scot Lib Dems set out plans to improve childcare for working families
  • Scottish Lib Dems will fix NHS staffing as almost all GPs retiring early

Scot Lib Dems set out plans to improve childcare for working families

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to a sports club in the Lothians to set out how his party will give parents more choice and help juggling work and family through funded early learning and childcare.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would ensure families can access flexible, affordable and fair early learning and childcare (ELC). As well as protecting the existing entitlements and ensuring …

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Mark Valladares

10 April 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 10th April 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton comments on declining nursing applications
  • Cole-Hamilton sets out plan to “fix the damn roads”

Cole-Hamilton comments on declining nursing applications

Responding to an embargoed report by the Royal College of Nursing about a falling number of applications for nursing courses, with over 1,000 fewer people applying to study nursing in 2025 compared to 2019, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

For nineteen years, the SNP have made a dog’s dinner of NHS staffing. These gaps stretch all the way back to Nicola Sturgeon cutting nursing training places and claiming that was sensible.

Such a drastic fall in the number of people applying to

…

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Mark Valladares

9 April 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 9th April 2026 - 10:40 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton sets out plan for a skills revolution
  • Scot Lib Dems call for investment in affordable housing in Mid Scotland & Fife

Cole-Hamilton sets out plan for a skills revolution

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today set out plans for a skills revolution as he met with young scientists at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh today.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats will:

  • Create a new industrial strategy that focuses on what we’re really good at and what we can be good at, and throw the weight and levers of government behind businesses that can help us achieve greater success in life sciences, energy, food and drink, fintech and financial services, defence and more.
  • Develop a new skills strategy, mapping where the gaps are and will be, and fitting training and education systems around it, so that the country secures the skills it needs in everything from social care to engineering and construction.
  • Repair Scotland’s colleges and vocational skills system, and safeguard the future of our world-leading universities.

In the recent budget negotiations, the party secured £70m to start to repair the damage that the SNP have inflicted on the college sector – a 10% budget increase. The party has also secured money to save Corseford College, Scotland’s first college for young adults with complex & additional needs and campaigned to save facilities for Scotland’s rural college in Fife.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Scottish education just isn’t what it used to be. We used to have one of the best education systems in the world, but under the SNP it is now just average. The whole education system isn’t producing the range and depth of skills that businesses and our economy need. It’s ridiculous that the Scottish defence industry is having to hire 300 welders from the Philippines.

Our plan will invest in education at every stage, starting from a young age and continuing throughout adulthood. We want every child to get the support and attention they need at school, so they leave with the skills, confidence and resilience to be happy and successful, whatever they choose to do next.

We will repair Scotland’s colleges and vocational skills system, and safeguard the future of our world-leading universities so that we can deliver a skills revolution.

Unlike the SNP, Scottish Liberal Democrats would get ahead of the curve instead of waiting to pick up the pieces, making the most of Scotland’s homegrown skills, engineering supply chains and natural advantages.

If you believe Scotland needs change, then every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart. Scotland deserves better. And with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.

Scot Lib Dems call for investment in affordable housing in Mid Scotland & Fife

Scottish Liberal Democrat lead candidate for Mid Scotland & Fife, councillor Claire McLaren has today called on the Scottish Government to invest in affordable housing in Stirling, Perth & Kinross, Clackmannanshire and Fife as she revealed that the number of homes completed has fallen by a third over the past two years.

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Mark Valladares

8 April 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 8th April 2026 - 11:20 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton takes on judo champ and pledges to restore Highland services
  • Cole-Hamilton: Time to beg UK Government and European operators for vessels for Dunkirk-style effort to tackle ferry crisis
  • Greene: Scottish Tory economy plans show they are the ‘nasty party’ again

Cole-Hamilton takes on judo champ and pledges to restore Highland services

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today tried his hand at judo alongside former Commonwealth medallist, British champion and Highland councillor Connie Ramsay, as he set out his party’s pledge to restore services to Highland communities.

In September 2025, Connie Ramsay won a Highland Council by-election for the Scottish Liberal Democrats with 38.8% of the vote, taking a seat previously held by the SNP.

In their forthcoming manifesto, the party will commit to “end the era of SNP centralisation” by:

  • Increasing the range of NHS services available locally;
  • Ensuring decisions about health services are taken as close as possible to the communities they affect and that any reform does not result in top-down centralisation;
  • Treating councils as equal partners with multi-year funding deals and new freedoms to innovate.
  • The party has continually campaigned for the restoration of consultant-led maternity services in the Far North. The party also forced the SNP’s bureaucratic ministerial takeover of social care out of the Scottish Budget after ministers threw away £30 million – equivalent to the annual salary of 1200 care workers, and money that could have been spent helping people like Margaret MacGill who Alex visited yesterday.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Our country works best when decisions are taken as close as possible to those they affect. Right now, people don’t feel like they are being listened to or that they have the means to roll up their sleeves, do things differently and change their area for the better.

Almost two decades of SNP centralisation has drained local communities of the ability to shape their own future. Care homes and maternity services are just some of the facilities that have gone as a consequence. The viability of some rural and remote areas is being threatened by the lack of public transport, the ferries fiasco, the housing emergency and skills shortages.

Scottish Liberal Democrats know that every place has its own character, its own needs and priorities. We will shift power out of Holyrood and into local hands, so you can get on with improving where you live without waiting for the say-so of ministers in Edinburgh. From city centres to remote islands, and everything in between, we’ll make sure your area has the services and opportunity to live, work and raise a family.

Wherever you are, every Scottish Liberal Democrat elected in target constituencies like Caithness, Sutherland & Ross, and through the peach regional ballot paper, will deliver change with fairness at its heart.

Cole-Hamilton: Time to beg UK Government and European operators for vessels for Dunkirk-style effort to tackle ferry crisis

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that John Swinney should be on the phone begging the UK Government and ferry operators around Europe for extra boats to alleviate the ferry crisis.

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Mark Valladares

Cole-Hamilton: I want to fix delayed discharge, gain four new Highland and Island seats and send the SNP packing

By Mark Valladares | Wed 8th April 2026 - 7:30 am

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has used a visit to Wick to set out how his party can win four additional constituency seats in the Highlands and Islands from the SNP and to launch his party’s plans to tackle delayed discharge.

Mr Cole-Hamilton was in Wick to meet Margaret MacGill who is just home after being stuck in hospital for a year when she didn’t need or want to be there – a case he repeatedly raised at First Minister’s Questions.

Margaret was first admitted to Raigmore Hospital in November 2024 with a rare spinal condition, before moving to the Town and County Hospital in Wick in February 2025. Despite being assessed as fit to leave hospital, she was unable to do so because there were no carers able to drop in and help her. She finally returned home last month after her family arranged private care, having been told that otherwise she would have to remain in hospital for another year.

New figures published by Public Health Scotland show that at the February 2026 census, there were 1,939 people whose discharge from hospital was delayed. In February 2026, there were also 55,547 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed. This is 2% more than the number of delayed days in February 2025 (54,487).

In their forthcoming manifesto, Scottish Liberal Democrats will set out plans to make careers in social care more attractive and value experienced staff to improve retention by:

  • Creating new dedicated key worker housing for carers and other eligible workers, so the housing crisis doesn’t stop people taking up posts.
  • Rewarding care workers through national bargaining on pay and conditions, fair work and a career ladder that boosts their skills and respects their experience at every step.
  • Change to a 7-day discharge model so people aren’t kept in hospital just because it is a weekend.
  • Using the NHS App to help people to arrange welfare power of attorney, so they don’t become trapped in hospital down the line.
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Mark Valladares

7 April 2026 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 7th April 2026 - 10:55 pm
  • 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.

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Mark Valladares

2 April 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 2nd April 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • SNP set to miss key child poverty target
  • Welsh Lib Dems urge Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike as global instability drives rising petrol prices
  • Cole-Hamilton sets out mental health plan with visit to therapy llamas
  • Greene: Reform set to lose 26 constituency candidates by polling day, figures show
  • Murray: Lib Dem 10p fuel duty cut will get Scotland moving again
  • Welsh Lib Dems slam Reform’s “fantasy” coal plans as a threat to jobs, bills and climate
  • Reform candidate’s Ukraine comments spark outrage as Lib Dems warn of “dangerous” pro-Kremlin rhetoric

SNP set to miss key child poverty target

Responding to IFS analysis which indicates that Scotland is on course to miss its target to reduce relative child poverty to below 10% by 2030-31 “by a considerable margin”, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP said:

Despite the grand rhetoric from the SNP, they have left thousands of children in poverty.

For the past nineteen years, the SNP have failed to use the powers they have had at their disposal to move the dial.

Just like Nicola Sturgeon broke her promise to close the attainment gap, John Swinney has broken his promise to reduce child poverty. They simply cannot be trusted.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are focused on tackling the root causes of child poverty, and everyone in Scotland has the chance to vote for these plans by backing us on your peach, regional ballot paper in May.

Welsh Lib Dems urge Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike as global instability drives rising petrol prices

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Labour to cancel their planned fuel duty increase, warning that continued instability in the Middle East is already driving up global oil prices and risks placing further pressure on households and businesses across Wales.

The intervention comes as forecourts begin to reflect rising wholesale costs, with industry experts warning that sustained geopolitical tensions could keep prices elevated in the weeks ahead. Edmund King, President of the AA, has previously warned that such instability would “inevitably lead to price hikes,” with sharp increases often feeding through to drivers within days.

Labour’s planned changes would see fuel duty rise for the first time in 15 years, beginning with a 1p increase in September, followed by further rises through to 2027. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have warned that pressing ahead with the increase at a time of heightened global uncertainty would compound cost-of-living pressures, particularly in areas where people have little choice but to drive.

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Mark Valladares

1 April 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 1st April 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • 9 in 10 new primary teachers don’t have full-time permanent work
  • Cole-Hamilton: We will save small business from SNP rates wrecking ball
  • Welsh Lib Dems urge Government to put small and local firms first in public contracts

9 in 10 new primary teachers don’t have full-time permanent work

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today said that the SNP have “broken promise after promise to teachers and children”, as new figures show that 9 in 10 post-induction primary school teachers didn’t have full-time, permanent employment in 2025.

New figures show that between 2018/19 and 2024/25:

  • The percentage of post-induction primary teachers in full-time, permanent employment dropped from 30.3% to 10.8%.
  • The percentage of post-induction primary teachers in part-time, temporary employment has increased from 16.8% to 38.1%.
  • The percentage of post-induction secondary teachers in full-time, permanent employment has fallen from 57.9% to 42.5%.
  • The percentage of post-induction secondary teachers in part-time, temporary employment has increased from 2.9% to 5.3%.

Willie Rennie MSP said:

It is abysmal that 9 in 10 new primary school teachers can’t get full-time, permanent employment.

The SNP have broken promise after promise to teachers and children, with huge numbers of secondary and primary teachers now stuck on temporary contracts.

What a huge waste of talent when young people need good teachers more than ever, when their schooling was turned upside down by Covid and when far too many pupils with additional needs are not being properly supported.

I have met so many teachers who have been forced out of the profession because they can’t make ends meet and are tired of lurching between short-term work.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to give teachers proper, stable contracts, instead of short-term and zero hours work, so we can get Scottish education back to its best. You can vote for that by backing us on your second, peach-coloured, regional ballot paper in May.

Cole-Hamilton: We will save small business from SNP rates wrecking ball

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to the Far From The Madding Crowd book shop in Linlithgow to set out how his party is standing in the way of the SNP’s business rates wrecking ball and to reveal a package of new measures to support high streets.

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Mark Valladares

31 March 2026 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Tue 31st March 2026 - 10:30 pm

Recall Parliament to address ferry crisis say Scottish Liberal Democrats

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today called for the Scottish Parliament to be recalled to address the crisis engulfing Scotland’s ferry network as communities in Argyll & Bute and up and down the west coast face yet more upheaval, with up to eight ferries out of action.

The Scottish Parliament can be recalled up until 8th April.

Mr Cole-Hamilton made the comments as he and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey visited the key target seat of Strathkelvin & Bearsden to play tennis with community activist and candidate Adam Harley and local …

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The Voice

Davey: Lib Dems have the wind in our sails

By The Voice | Tue 31st March 2026 - 7:30 am

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey yesterday declared that the wind is in the party’s sails as they took to the water on a visit in Edinburgh.

After sailing a boat under the iconic Forth bridges, the party leaders set out their desire to “smash the Scottish Conservatives and dismantle the acid yellow wall of the SNP” to a horde of party activists.

The party is targeting ten constituency seats across Scotland having proven that it can gain seats from the SNP, while taking seats on the peach regional ballot paper by targeting moderate voters shocked …

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Mark Valladares

27 March 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 27th March 2026 - 10:30 pm

Still no luck with HQ press releases, I’m afraid, but nonetheless…

  • Scottish Liberal Democrats can win in every corner of Scotland
  • Historic Anti-Corruption Law adopted: Liberals and Democrats increase protection for citizens and democracy

Scottish Liberal Democrats can win in every corner of Scotland

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today continued his party’s speedy start to the election campaign by speeding up the Clyde in a powerboat as he set out how his party can win seats on the peach regional ballot in every corner of Scotland and how more Liberal Democrat MSPs will get more done in the next parliamentary term.

Mr Cole-Hamilton highlighted his party’s achievements in the Scottish Parliament including:

  • Fresh support for high street businesses struggling with the cost of living
  • A 10% increase in the college budget to produce the skills our economy and public services need
  • Investment to speed up autism and ADHD assessments
  • Millions for hospices so they can attract and retain staff
  • Young entrepreneurs being backed to take their idea to the next level
  • New facilities for new mothers and babies born addicted drugs
  • Cash for flood-stricken families and businesses in Fife when the government turned its back
  • More money for ferries in the Northern Isles
  • Suzanne’s Law and Michelle’s Law, strengthening the rights of victims and their families
  • Money restored to the housing budget after it was cut by the Greens and SNP
  • Family carers have the right to earn more
  • Work restarted on Edinburgh’s Eye Hospital and the Belford in Fort William

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

We’re making a speedy start to this campaign because Scottish Liberal Democrats believe in getting things done.

There are some political parties which only fire out angry press releases, oppose everything for opposition’s sake, and achieve absolutely nothing for their constituents. There is another way of doing things. Budget by budget, bill by bill, case by case, we care to use our leverage as MSPs to deliver change with fairness at its heart.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have shown that we are serious about getting you the fair deal you deserve. There is a long list of changes that we have won for our constituents and for Scotland as a whole. The more MSPs we have, the more we can get done, like delivering more GPs, dentists and mental health professionals near you.

This election is your chance to elect local champions and win the change our country desperately needs. We can gain more constituencies from the SNP than any other party. But wherever you are, you can have an MSP who will get stuff done by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach regional ballot.

Historic Anti-Corruption Law adopted: Liberals and Democrats increase protection for citizens and democracy

Renew Europe welcomes today’s final adoption by the European Parliament of the new EU anti-corruption law, marking the successful conclusion of interinstitutional negotiations and delivering tougher sanctions, stronger prevention and greater protection for citizens and journalists across Europe.

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Mark Valladares

24 March 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 24th March 2026 - 10:30 pm
  • 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.

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Caron Lindsay

WATCH: Alex Cole-Hamilton’s speech to Scottish Conference: Lib Dem revival will get things done

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 22nd February 2026 - 11:04 am

For the first time in over twenty years, the Scottish Liberal Democrats can approach the Holyrood elections with a degree of optimism. Our Conference this weekend was buzzing. Held in Dynamic Earth, a tourist attraction overlooking the Holyrood Parliament (well worth a visit if you are in Edinburgh), there was a real feeling that this was our time.

Introduced by two recent by-election winners, leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said that we were on the cusp of a huge Liberal Democrat revival and the presence of a large number of Lib Dem MSPs would mean that we would get things done. He said we were aiming to win 10 constituencies, up from four, and gain on the peach ballot.

Watch here:

The full text is below:

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