Alexander predicts LibDem comeback
DANNY Alexander has insisted that he can defy bookmakers and opinion polls by holding on to his Highland seat at the General Election, as he claimed the Liberal Democrats will be the “comeback kids” in May.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury acknowledged he faced a “tough battle” to retain his Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey seat after a poll showed him almost 30 points behind the SNP. However, he said that he could hang on to his constituency, claiming he was “doing a lot to support the Highlands through this Government”.
Odds of 7/2 are available on Mr Alexander to be returned to Westminster, while the SNP are heavy favourites at 1/6 to win the seat.
Mr Alexander also claimed he was optimistic about his party’s chances, despite recent polls in Scotland putting Liberal Democrat support at around five per cent.
Bookmaker William Hill believes that the SNP will emerge from the election with more seats than Liberal Democrats UK-wide, despite holding just six compared to 56 for Nick Clegg’s party.
Mr Alexander said: “I think we Liberal Democrats will be the comeback kids in this election campaign because I think when people look at the choice they have – clueless Labour, heartless Tories – and they want to continue the recovery in the way that it’s going you only get a strong economy and a fair society through the Lib Dems.
“I think that means a lot of our MPs, all of our MPs potentially, will hold their seats and we’ll gain more seats too.”
Mr Alexander, speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, also unveiled plans to crackdown on corporate tax evasion. He backed a new law that would make it an offence for firms to fail to act to prevent economic crime, saying that organisations that encourage or facilitate tax evasion should face the same penalties as evaders, following allegations that HSBC helped its customers dodge tax.
“We should create a new offence of corporate failure to avoid preventing an economic crime and also that organisations who facilitate or encourage evasion should face the same penalty as the evaders.”