Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

In an appeal to Scottish Green voters, campaign chair Alistair Carmichael MP has today said every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats is a vote to "put the climate emergency ahead of independence".

The intervention comes after a poll by Lord Ashcroft Polls showed Greens voters hold mixed views on independence. The poll reported only 43% of Green supporters supported independence, while 46% were against it.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today kicked off the final day of campaigning before polls open at an airfield in East Lothian, where he urged voters to back Liberal Democrat candidates who will put recovery first, not an independence referendum.

Kicking off a whistle stop tour that will take him from the South of Scotland to the Highlands, Mr Rennie said:

We have decided that Autumn Conference will take place from 17th to 20th September. It will be held online. That was a very difficult decision to take and we had a very lengthy discussion about it.

We recognise that a lot of people would like to meet again in person - believe me, so we would we - but the question is whether, at this time, we can absolutely guarantee that conference could go ahead in the format that we know and love. Having consulted a range of others, FCC considered, with some reluctance, that it was not possible at this time to give such a guarantee. Although things are now a lot better in terms of the pandemic, we do not know if there are any final bumps in the road still to come. Medical experts say they expect a third wave in the Autumn but the extent is not yet clear. Of course, things seemed better in the early Autumn of 2020 but then took a marked turn for the worst a few months later. We do not, at this stage, know what social distancing requirements there will be or how many people will be able to attend the venue. We therefore cannot make meaningful plans and set any meaningful budget for the event. The risk of going ahead in person but having to cancel or heavily restrict the event such that it is not inclusive, is just too great. In the same way, we take any risk to the personal safety of party members very seriously. That is why we cancelled Spring 2020. We would not want to expose anyone to any unnecessary risk of catching this dreadful virus in a close setting.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today used a campaign stop in Edinburgh to urge voters to reach for recovery and declare that his party can make the gains that will ensure the next parliament puts recovery first, not independence.

Launching his party's "Reach for Recovery" poster van, Mr Rennie said:

1. Recognise that our present system of government is broken

There is meanwhile no majority for Scottish independence, but people in Scotland are obviously looking for a better way of government. They are fed up with Westminster rule by dogmatic conservative governments. They are fed up with right-wing leaders like Johnson and Thatcher, who impose right-wing policies here despite never having achieved a mandate from the Scottish people.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today used a campaign stop at Edinburgh Zoo to say that electing Lib Dem MSPs can build bridges for the next five years and ensure the parliament is not dominated by arguments over borders, currencies and the timeline for another independence referendum.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today used a campaign stop in Edinburgh to urge voters to help the Lib Dems cross the finish line and secure seats in every region of Scotland.

His comments come as two new polls show the Liberal Democrats on the brink of securing seats across the country.

Responding to comments from Alex Salmond in which he claimed that Scotland should go for a "clean break" with the UK during any independence talks, refusing to pay a share of national debt after a potential yes vote, campaign chair Alistair Carmichael MP said:

"Refusing to take on a share of the national debt after independence would make Scotland an international pariah. No one would lend to the new Scottish government ever again.