Lib Dem triumph a ‘signal of hope’

VICTORY for the Lib Dems in the Richmond Park by-election is “a signal of hope” for Scots who backed remain, Alistair Carmichael has said.

The deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats was in the London constituency last week, where Lib Dem Sarah Olney, campaigning on an antibrexit platform, beat former Tory Zac Goldsmith, who recently resigned over Heathrow expansion.

The Orkney and Shetland MP said: “The result is good news for millions of people in Scotland as well as for Richmond Park itself.

“It was not just Scotland that had a strong vote for the UK to remain in the EU in June. Millions of people wanted to remain and now they have a voice wherever they live.

“The result in Richmond Park is a signal of hope in Scotland. The Liberal Democrats offer a voice for people who want the UK to stop a hard Brexit.

“This week the Scottish Conservatives changed sides. They no longer support our inclusion in the single market and have given up on the people in Scotland who do not want a hard Brexit. The result last night shows that people are prepared to rebel against that Conservative argument.

“The Liberal Democrats are their voice and showed last night that it is a voice that can win the argument.

“There is now the chance for people across the UK to stop a hard Brexit.”