Scottish Liberal Democrats Pàrtaidh Libearalach Deamocratach na h-Alba
Leader	Alex Cole-Hamilton
Deputy Leader	Wendy Chamberlain
President	Willie Wilson
Chief Executive	Paul Trollope
Founded	8 March 1988; 37 years ago (1988-03-08)
Headquarters	4 Clifton Terrace Edinburgh EH12 5DR[1]
Youth wing	Scottish Young Liberals
Membership(December 2020)	4,185[2]
Ideology	Liberalism[3] Social liberalism[4] British federalism[5][6] British unionism[7] Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre tocentre-left
National affiliation	Liberal Democrats
European affiliation	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
International affiliation	Liberal International
Colours	Orange[8]
Slogan	"For a fair deal for Scotland"
House of Commons (Scottish seats)	6 / 57
Scottish Parliament[9]	5 / 129
Local government in Scotland[10]	88 / 1,226
Councils led inScotland[10]	1 / 32
Website
www.scotlibdems.org.uk
Politics of Scotland Political parties Elections

TheScottish Liberal Democrats (Scottish Gaelic:Pàrtaidh Libearalach Deamocratach na h-Alba)^[11] is aliberal,federalist political party in Scotland, part of UKLiberal Democrats. The party holds 5 of the 129 seats in theScottish Parliament,^[9] 6 of the 57 Scottish seats in theHouse of Commons and 88 of 1,226 local councillors.^[10]

The Scottish Liberal Democrats is one of the three state parties^[12] within thefederal^[13]Liberal Democrats, the others being theWelsh Liberal Democrats and theEnglish Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats do not contest elections inNorthern Ireland.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat party was formed by the merger of theScottish Liberal Party and theSocial Democratic Party (SDP) in Scotland, as part of themerger of theLiberal Party and SDP on 3 March 1988.^[14]

The party campaigned for the creation of a devolvedScottish Parliament as part of its wider policy of afederal United Kingdom. In the late 1980s and 1990s it and its representatives participated in theScottish Constitutional Convention withScottish Labour, theScottish Greens,trades unions andchurches. It also campaigned for a "Yes-Yes" vote in the1997 devolution referendum.^[15]

In thefirst elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the Scottish Lib Dems won 17 seats. Following this, it formed acoalition government withScottish Labour in theScottish Executive. The then party leader,Jim Wallace, becameDeputy First Minister of Scotland andMinister for Justice. He also served as actingFirst Minister on three occasions, during the illness and then later, the death of the first First MinisterDonald Dewar and the following resignation of his successorHenry McLeish. This partnership was renewed in 2003 and Wallace became Deputy First Minister andMinister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. On 23 June 2005,Nicol Stephen MSP succeeded Wallace as party leader^[16] and took over his positions in the Executive until the 2007 elections.

Prior to the partnership government being formed in 1999, the UK had only limited experience of coalition government. The Lib Dems' participation attracted criticism for involving compromises to its preferred policies, although several of its manifesto pledges were adopted as government policy or legislation. These included changes to the arrangements for student contributions to higher education costs (although whether that amounted to the claimed achievement of having abolished tuition fees was hotly contested), free personal care for the elderly and (during the second coalition government) changing the system of elections for Scottish local authorities to thesingle transferable vote, a long-standing Liberal Democrat policy.

In the2007 Scottish Parliament election, the party won one fewer seat than in the two previous Scottish elections: this was the first parliamentary election for 28 years in which the party's parliamentary strength in Scotland was reduced. This experience led to some criticism of the party's election strategy and its leader. Although it was arithmetically possible to form a majority coalition with theScottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish Greens, the party refused to participate in coalition negotiations because of a disagreement over the SNP's policy of areferendum onScottish independence, and sat as an opposition party in the Parliament.^[17]

On 2 July 2008,Nicol Stephen resigned as party leader, citing the "stresses and strains" of the job.^[18] Former deputy leaderMichael Moore MP served as acting leader of the party untilTavish Scott MSP waselected party leader on 26 August 2008, winning 59% of the votes cast in a contest with parliamentary colleaguesRoss Finnie andMike Rumbles.^[19]

At the2011 Scottish Parliament election, the party lost all its mainland constituencies, retaining only the two constituencies of Orkney and of Shetland; it also secured three List MSPs. This was, at the time, by far the party's worst electoral performance since the re-establishment of a Scottish Parliament in 1999. The disastrous results were blamed on a backlash to the Lib Dems'coalition with the Conservative Party.^[20] Scott resigned as party leader on 7 May;^[21]Willie Rennie won the resulting election to replace Scott ten days later.^[22]

At the2014 European Parliament election, the party lost its only MEP, leaving it with no representation in Europe for the first time since1994. The party lost 10 of its 11 MPs at the2015 general election with onlyAlistair Carmichael narrowly retaining his seat, holdingOrkney and Shetland with a 3.6% majority.^[23]

At the2016 Scottish Parliament election, the party again had five MSPs elected but was pushed into 5th place by theScottish Greens. While it regained the two constituency seats of Edinburgh Western and North East Fife from the SNP, its vote share fell slightly overall.

At the2017 general election, the party retained Orkney and Shetland with an increased majority, as well as regaining three seats lost to the SNP in 2015 –Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross,East Dunbartonshire andEdinburgh West. The Scottish Liberal Democrats lost out on theNorth East Fife constituency toStephen Gethins of the SNP by just two votes in the most marginal result in the UK at the general election that year.^[24]

In the2019 European Parliament election, the Liberal Demcrats re-gained a Member of European Parliament:Sheila Ritchie represented the Scotland Region until the United Kingdom left the European Union in early 2020.

In the2019 general election, UK Lib Dem leaderJo Swinson lost East Dunbartonshire toAmy Callaghan of the SNP by 150 votes, and was forced to stand down as leader; but the Liberal Democrats successfully regained North East Fife and retained four seats in Scotland. The Scottish Lib Dems replaced Scottish Labour as the third-largest party in Scotland in terms of seats at the 2019 general election, in a historic landslide defeat for Labour nationwide.^[25][26]

In the2021 Scottish Parliament election electors returned only 4 Lib Dem MSPs: the party held on to their 4 constituency seats while losing their single regional seat inNorth East Scotland. The party's vote-share also declined further, reaching a new low in both constituency and list-vote share at a Scottish Parliamentary election, and 50 candidates lost deposits in the 73 constituencies contested.^[27] This resulted in the party dropping below the five-seat threshold required for recognition as a parliamentary party in the Scottish Parliament, and consequently losing certain parliamentary rights such as a guaranteed question atFirst Minister's Questions. Following the election, Rennie resigned as leader, and was replaced byAlex Cole-Hamilton in August 2021 after he stood to run unopposed.^[28]

After winning 87 council seats in the2022 Scottish local elections, an increase from 67 in 2017, party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton announced a target of 150 councillors by 2027.^[29]

At the2024 United Kingdom general election, the party won the most number of seats since2010.^[30] They held the successors to their four seats which had their boundaries redrawn and gained an additional two by takingMid Dunbartonshire andRoss, Skye and Lochaber from the SNP.^[31] Due to the reduction of House of Common seats in the 2023 Boundary Review, many news organisations would report the results as two holds and four gains.^[30]

No.	Image	Name	Term start	Term end
1		Malcolm Bruce	3 March 1988	18 April 1992
2		Jim Wallace	18 April 1992	23 June 2005
3		Nicol Stephen	23 June 2005	2 July 2008
Acting		Michael Moore	2 July 2008	26 August 2008
4		Tavish Scott	26 August 2008	7 May 2011
5		Willie Rennie	17 May 2011	20 July 2021
Acting		Alistair Carmichael	20 July 2021	20 August 2021
6		Alex Cole-Hamilton	20 August 2021	Incumbent

No.	Image	Name	Term start	Term end
1		Michael Moore	2 November 2002	20 September 2010
2		Jo Swinson	20 September 2010	23 September 2012
3		Alistair Carmichael	23 September 2012	3 December 2021
4		Wendy Chamberlain	3 December 2021	Incumbent

Current party officials include:^[32]

• Leader:Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP
• Deputy Leader:Wendy Chamberlain MP
• Convener: Jenni Lang^[33]
• Treasurer: Mike Gray
• President: Willie Wilson
• Vice-Convener, Policy: Neil Casey
• Vice-Convener, Conference: Paul McGarry
• Vice-Convener, Campaigns & Candidates: Charles Dundas

In keeping with its basis as afederation of organisations, the Scottish party also consists of a number of local parties (which mostly follow the boundaries of the Scottish Council Areas), which are each distinct accounting units under thePolitical Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Local parties are predominantly responsible for the party'spolitical campaigning and for selecting candidates for parliamentary andlocal authority elections.

There are also eight regional parties (based on the boundaries of the eightScottish Parliament electoral regions).

The party's headquarters are located inEdinburgh. The conference is the highest decision-making body of the party on both policy and strategic issues. The day-to-day organisation of the party is the responsibility of the party's Executive Committee, which is chaired by the Convener of the party and includes the Leader, the Deputy Leader and the President of the party, as well as the party Treasurer and the three Vice-Conveners. All party members vote every two years in internal elections to elect people to all the below positions, except Leader & Depute Leader.

Like the Federal party, the Scottish party holds two conferences per year; a Spring Conference, and an Autumn Conference.

Associated organisations generally seek to influence the direction of the party on a specific issue or represent a section of the party membership. The party has five associated organisations:

• Association of Scottish Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners (ASLDC)
• LGBT+ Liberal Democrats
• Scottish Green Liberal Democrats
• Scottish Women Liberal Democrats
• Scottish Young Liberals

The Association of Scottish Liberal Democrat Councillors (ASLDC)^[34] is a network of Liberal Democratcouncillors and local campaigners across Scotland which works to support and develop Liberal Democrat involvement inScottish Local Government. Following theLocal Council Election of May 2017, under theSingle Transferable Vote (STV) system, 67 Liberal Democrats were elected, a drop of 3 onLocal Council Election of May 2012. A voluntary Executive Committee meets several times a year to run the organisation. ASLDC works alongside Liberal Democrats in theConvention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) where Peter Barrett is leader of the Lib Dem Group.

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The Scottish Party decides its policy on state matters independently from thefederal party. State matters include not only currentlydevolved issues but also thosereserved matters which the party considers should be devolved to theScottish Parliament, includingbroadcasting,energy,drugs andabortion.^[35] The party also believes that the Scottish Parliament should exercisegreater responsibility on fiscal matters. A party commission chaired by former Liberal Party leader and Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer SirDavid Steel set out the party's proposals on the constitutional issue.^[36]

According to its constitution, the party believes in a "fair, free and open society ... in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity". It has traditionally argued for both positive and negative liberties, tolerance of social diversity,decentralisation of political authority, includingproportional representation for public elections, internationalism and greater involvement in theEuropean Union. In the 2007 elections it campaigned for reforms topublic services andlocal taxation, and for more powers for the Scottish Parliament within afederal Britain.

In December 2007, the party (along withScottish Labour and theScottish Conservatives) supported the creation of a newCommission on Scottish Devolution, along similar lines to the earlierScottish Constitutional Convention, to discuss further powers for the Scottish Parliament.

In 2012, the Scottish Liberal Democrats joined theBetter Together campaign with other Unionist political parties to campaign for a No vote in the2014 Scottish independence referendum, with Craig Harrow, then convener of the party, joining the Board of Directors.

They campaigned to for the UK and Scotland to remain a member of the European Union via theStronger In preceding the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum

In 2021, the Scottish Liberal Democrats negotiated a budget agreement with the SNP Scottish government, helping pass theScottish budget with the condition of additional funding for community mental health services, schools and renewables retraining for people in the oil and gas sector inNorth East Scotland.^[37]

In the Scottish Parliament election later that year, their manifesto pledges included training more mental health specialists, anNHS recovery plan after theCOVID-19 pandemic, investing in low carbon heat networks, new national parks, auniversal basic income,play-based education, opposing a second independence referendum and moving homes to zero-emission heating.^[38]

In the 2024 UK General Election, the party's manifesto was similar to the UK-wide party manifesto, and focussed on funding for the NHS and social care, stopping the dumping of sewage into Scottish rivers and tackling thecost-of-living crisis. The manifesto also included pledges on zero-emissions by 2045 at the latest, a one- year emergency home insulation programme, removing the benefit cap, electrifying the rail network, enhancing theHuman Rights Act, and scrapping theIllegal Migration Act, among other policies.^[39]

Scottish Liberal Democrats currently have 88 elected councillors across Scotland with representation in each of the following councils:^[10]

• Aberdeen City Council (4 councillors)
• Aberdeenshire Council (14)
• Argyll and Bute Council (4)
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (1)
• Dumfries and Galloway Council (1)
• Dundee City Council (4)
• East Dunbartonshire Council (4)
• City of Edinburgh Council (14)
• Fife Council (13)
• The Highland Council (16)
• Perth and Kinross Council (5)
• Renfrewshire Council (1)
• Scottish Borders Council (3)
• South Lanarkshire Council (3)
• West Lothian Council (1)

Election	Leader	Constituency			Regional			Total seats	+/–	Pos.	Government
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
1999	Jim Wallace	333,179	14.2	12 / 73	290,760	12.4	5 / 56	17 / 129		4th	Lab–LD
2003		294,347	15.4	13 / 73	225,774	11.8	4 / 56	17 / 129		4th	Lab–LD
2007	Nicol Stephen	326,232	16.2	11 / 73	230,651	11.3	5 / 56	16 / 129	1	4th	Opposition
2011	Tavish Scott	157,714	7.9	2 / 73	104,472	5.2	3 / 56	5 / 129	11	4th	Opposition
2016	Willie Rennie	178,238	7.8	4 / 73	119,284	5.2	1 / 56	5 / 129		5th	Opposition
2021		187,816	6.9	4 / 73	137,152	5.1	0 / 56	4 / 129	1	5th	Opposition

This table shows the electoral results of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, from the first election the party contested in 1992. Total number of seats, number of votes and vote percentage, is for Scotland only. For results prior to 1992, seeScottish Liberal Party.

Election	Leader		Scotland					Government
			Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Pos.
1992	Malcolm Bruce	Paddy Ashdown	383,856	13.1	9 / 72		3rd	Opposition
1997	Jim Wallace		365,362	13.0	10 / 72	1	2nd	Opposition
2001		Charles Kennedy	380,034	16.3	10 / 72		2nd	Opposition
2005			528,076	22.6	11 / 59	1	2nd	Opposition
2010	Tavish Scott	Nick Clegg	465,471	18.9	11 / 59		2nd	Cons–LD
2015	Willie Rennie		219,675	7.5	1 / 59	10	4th	Opposition
2017		Tim Farron	179,061	6.8	4 / 59	3	4th	Opposition
2019		Jo Swinson	263,417	9.5	4 / 59		3rd	Opposition
2024	Alex Cole-Hamilton	Ed Davey	234,228	9.7	6 / 57	2	3rd	Opposition

TheLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973 established a two-tier system ofregions and districts. The Scottish Liberal Democrats contested the district elections in1988 and1992, followed by the regional elections in1990 and1994.

District councils					Regional and island councils
Election	Votes		Seats	Councils	Election	Votes		Seats	Councils
	%	Pos.				%	Pos.
1988	8.4	4th	84 / 1,158	2 / 53	1990	8.0	4th	40 / 453	0 / 12
1992	9.5	4th	94 / 1,158	2 / 53	1994	12.2	4th	60 / 453	0 / 12

The two-tier system of local government lasted until 1 April 1996 when theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 came into effect, abolishing the regions and districts and replacing them with 32 unitary authorities. Elections for the new mainland unitary authorities were first contested in1995. TheLocal Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 switched the electoral system for Scottish local elections fromfirst past the post (FPTP) tosingle transferable vote (STV), beginning in2007.

Election	Leader	1st Pref Votes		Councillors		Councils		Pos.
		Votes	%	Seats	+/-	Majorities	+/-
1995[a]	Jim Wallace	166,141	9.8	121 / 1,155	N/A	0 / 29	N/A	3rd
1999		289,236	12.7	156 / 1,222	35	0 / 32		3rd
2003		272,057	14.5	175 / 1,222	19	1 / 32	1	3rd
2007	Nicol Stephen	266,693	12.7	166 / 1,222	9	0 / 32	1	3rd
2012	Willie Rennie	103,087	6.6	71 / 1,223	95	0 / 32		4th
2017		128,821	6.8	67 / 1,227	4	0 / 32		4th
2022	Alex Cole-Hamilton	159,815	8.6	87 / 1,226	20	0 / 32		4th

During theUnited Kingdom'smembership of theEuropean Union (1973–2020),Scotland participated inEuropean Parliament elections, held every five years from1979 until2019.^[41] The Scottish Liberal Democrats contested the1989 and1994 elections under thefirst past the post (FPTP) electoral system. TheEuropean Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 introduced a closed-listparty list system method ofproportional representation and asingle Scotland-wide electoral region, which came into effect in1999.

Election	Leader		Scotland
			Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Pos.
1989	Malcolm Bruce	Paddy Ashdown	68,056	4.3	0 / 8		5th
1994	Jim Wallace		107,811	7.2	0 / 8		4th
1999			96,971	9.8	1 / 8	1	4th
2004		Charles Kennedy	154,178	13.1	1 / 7		4th
2009	Tavish Scott	Nick Clegg	127,038	11.5	1 / 6		4th
2014	Willie Rennie		95,319	7.1	0 / 6	1	6th
2019		Vince Cable	218,285	13.8	1 / 6	1	3rd

• Torrance, David (2022).A History of the Scottish Liberals and Liberal Democrats. Edinburgh University Press. p. 240.ISBN 9781399506397.

• Scottish Liberals for Independence
• English Liberal Democrats
• Welsh Liberal Democrats
• Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats

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