Cole-Hamilton: ‘We have the beating of the SNP in 10 seats'

“I would resign as leader before voting to put John Swinney back,” he said.

His comments come amid speculation over how Scotland’s next government will be formed.

While polling suggests the SNP will again emerge as the largest party, it is expected to fall just short of an overall majority, raising the prospect of post-election dealmaking.

Some Labour strategists believe the party could still lead a government even if it finishes behind the SNP.

That would require the support — or at least acquiescence — of other unionist parties.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has refused to rule out instructing his MSPs to back Anas Sarwar in a straight contest with Mr Swinney.

(left to right) Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Mr Cole-Hamilton said his focus right now was “on delivering as many Lib Dem MSPs as possible” rather than dealmaking.

The party has identified 10 seats where it believes it can defeat the SNP.

“Orkney, Shetland — we hold those already — then Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, then Inverness and Nairn, then Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. Argyll and Bute, believe it or not, is absolutely in play.

“It is going to be very close between the Lib Dems and SNP.

“Then we have Strathkelvin and Bearsden. Of course, that is commensurate with Mid Dunbartonshire, which we won with a 10,000 majority just two years ago.

“Then North East Fife, held by Willie Rennie, Edinburgh Western in my seat, and the new seat of Edinburgh Northern in the capital as well.

“We love what we are seeing in terms of our election returns. It is clear we are getting lots of tactical support from people who would not normally vote Lib Dem. Tories, Labour [are] backing us to stop the SNP."

Mr Cole-Hamilton said internal data suggested they were making significant progress.

“I go back every night and review our canvas data. We have spoken to 20,000 people in March across Scotland in those 10 target constituencies,” he said.

“And my goodness, we have the beating of the SNP in all 10 of them.”

He added: “If the SNP are at or around 35% on the constituency vote, they are beatable absolutely everywhere. And people are wise to that. And that is why we are seeing so many people come to us.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton (Image: Jane Barlow)

The prospect of a three-way split at Holyrood — between the SNP, Labour and a potentially significant Reform UK group — has complicated the electoral arithmetic.

Some Labour figures believe that if they can narrowly overtake the SNP in key constituencies in the central belt, Reform’s presence on the regional lists could deny the SNP compensatory seats, creating three blocs of similar size.

In that scenario, Labour could attempt to claim a mandate to lead a government even if it remains behind the SNP overall.

“Ultimately, it will be up to the electors what the electoral maths looks like,” Mr Cole-Hamilton said.

He added: “We need change. And the SNP are the problem. They are not the solution.”

He said there was no “pact or alliance with Labour” and that he was “focused on delivering as many Lib Dem MSPs as possible”.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said most polls suggesting Nigel Farage's party would come second, he was confident voters would turn away Reform.

“The more that Lord Offord, and his policies come on display, the more they unravel. I trust the people of Scotland.

“They are wise. They understand when they are being sold a pup. I think they are starting to see that from Lord Offord.”

A lot of voters were, he added, just “desperate for change”.

“They are tired. They are frustrated by other parties. And they are right to be.”

“But as they start to understand the worldview of Farage and Lord Offord, which punches down on vulnerable people, which does not embrace the diversity or multiculturalism which makes Scotland the great country that it is, the more they turn away from it.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton during a visit to the Muirhouse Millenium Centre (Image: Neil Pooran/PA Wire)

On policy, Mr Cole-Hamilton said much of the Lib Dem platform had been shaped by conversations with voters.

“I knock more doors than any other party leader. I hands down guarantee that,” he said.

“And I do it every day, even when there are no cameras there. It is almost my happy place.”

He added: “It restores your faith in humanity. I mean, 99.9% of people are absolutely lovely.”

“And they tell you what is going on. And that has fed right through into our agenda.”

Among the most common concerns raised, he said, were pressures on the NHS and the cost of living.

Mr Cole-Hamilton argued Scotland’s NHS pressures were being driven by a lack of capacity in social care.

“On any given night in Scotland, 2,000 Scots are well enough to go home, but too frail to do so without a care package,” he said.

“That means that there are not enough beds in the main hospital for elective surgical operations or to receive people coming in from A&E.”

He added: “It is costing the NHS £1.3 million a day to keep those 2,000 Scots in hospital who do not want to be there.”

He argued that improving pay and conditions for care workers was key to addressing the issue.

“The answer to this is social care. If we deliver transformational change in social care by making it a profession of choice, increasing salaries of care workers and creating those packages, it costs half as much to get someone into a care home and a quarter as much to get them into their own home.

“That is fundamentally where you unlock this whole crisis.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton was critical of the SNP’s abandoned plans for a National Care Service.

“You could have paid thousands upon thousands of care workers a salary for what they spent on something they eventually binned,” he said.

Despite the pressures of the campaign, Mr Cole-Hamilton said he relished the experience.

“I absolutely love it,” he said.

“I think there are rare times in life when you feel exactly where you are meant to be — and that is how I feel.”