Lib Dem leader anxious about ‘shutting door’ on parties ahead of Swinney summit
The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has said he is anxious about “shutting the door on political parties” ahead of a summit called by the First Minister to counter the rise of Reform UK this month.
John Swinney announced plans to bring together party leaders and civil society at the end of this month in a bid to “lock out” the Nigel Farage-led party.
But speaking ahead of his party’s conference in Inverness on Friday, Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said he had “deep concerns about anything which aims to stifle a democratically elected voice”.
“I believe you defeat arguments you disagree with in open ground,” he told BBC Radio Scotland.
“You don’t try and shut them out, you don’t try and lock them in a dungeon somewhere, because that will martyr them, that will make them probably more popular, give them more air time and their supporters more grist to their mills.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton said he would engage with the First Minister “in good faith”, but added: “I don’t think it’s right that we should no-platform people.
“I think if people are democratically elected, they have every right to take their seat and I will defeat their arguments in open ground, but I am anxious about shutting the door on political parties.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton spoke ahead of the start of his party’s annual conference in Inverness, which on Friday will have a focus on social care, he said.
The leader refused to put a number on the seats his party would have to win in next year’s Holyrood election, but this week it was announced the Lib Dems would make the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch seat held by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes with a majority of nearly 16,000 a key target.
Mr Cole-Hamilton was positive about the chances of ousting Ms Forbes, pointing to the win of Lib Dem MP Angus MacDonald in last year’s general election, whose seat overlaps with that of Ms Forbes.
He was also quizzed on the future of former Tory MSP Jamie Greene, who announced on Thursday he was quitting the party, saying he has “a lot of time and huge respect” for him, but did not answer when asked if Mr Greene would be a surprise guest at this weekend’s conference.
