Lib Dem leader Rennie retains North East Fife

THE leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has retained his seat after a huge rise in his support.

Willie Rennie’s vote soared by 11 percentage points in North East Fife, while the Conservatives’ share declined by 11 percentage points in a clear sign that its voters switched to the best-placed pro-Union alternative to the SNP.

The SNP had targeted the seat, and candidate Rhuaraidh Fleming increased the party’s share by 2.9 percentage points compared to 201 .

But Mr Rennie, who has been an MSP and Scottish Lib Dem leader since 2011, comfortably held on with a 7,448 majority.

Speaking at the count, Mr Rennie hailed it as ‘such a great result’ for his party, and said he would stand up for his constituents on mental health, education, the economy,

jobs and climate.

He added: ‘I hope all the candidates in this election... hear the message from the voters: that now is not the moment for another referendum. We need to listen to that.’ The Lib Dems won 55 per cent of the overall vote in the constituency, with the SNP on 37 per cent, the Conservatives on per cent, and Labour on 3 per cent.

When asked for his reaction to the win, Mr Rennie told the BBC: ‘I can smile now and it’s a big cheesy smile. We’ve increased the vote substantially... I’m absolutely delighted with this stonking win.’