Lib Dems hoping to bridge ‘bitter divide’

Willie Rennie has signalled the Lib Dems want to work more closely with Labour to help bridge a “bitter divide” in Scottish politics.

Speaking on Election Hub Live, he highlighted how the two parties shared the priority of “putting the recovery first”, and said it is the right time to “try to find common agreement on things”.

Mr Rennie was interviewed by David Mac Dougall on the live-streaming platform just a few hours after a launching the Lib Dem election manifesto.

“There is no doubt that I think Anas Sarwar and I agree with each other that we need to put recovery from the pandemic first,” the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader said.

“They’ve got different policies and different priorities,” Mr Rennie said.

“But I think in politics now, I think it’s a good time if people agree with each other on some things and they hunt for agreement.

“I think there’s no doubt that part of the problem in Scottish politics is the bitter divide between the nationalists and the Conservatives,” he said.

“But we also appeal to different people in different parts of the country. We appeal to many people who are aspirational with a social conscience, and that’s where I think we’ve got space.”

Mr Rennie was quizzed on his party’s ambitions at the election, with polls showing no sign of any significant improvement on 2016, when they won five seats and finished fifth.

“The sky is the limit,” he said.