NICOLA Sturgeon should “never” have made the decision to bring in vaccine passports in Scotland, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has said.
Ed Davey, speaking to The Herald ahead of his party conference today, said the First Minister made the “wrong decision” around the use of vaccine certificates, and criticised the Scottish Greens for “selling out”.
Mr Davey also blasted the SNP over its record on education, saying that “every SNP MSP should look in the mirror” and accused the party of letting children down.
Mr Davey, whose party have been against the introduction of certificates showing vaccination status since they were first discussed, is claiming victory over the Conservative’s u-turn over their introduction in England last week.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says vaccine passports are one of many solutions to tackle Covid crisis
He said that his Scottish colleagues will be campaigning to do the same in Holyrood, explaining: “Nicola Sturgeon should never have taken that decision. It's the wrong decision.
“Anyone who's looked at it knows [vaccine passports] are divisive, unworkable, they are costly to business, and they give you a sort of false sense of security because you can be double jabbed and still catch Covid or spread Covid.”
Mr Davey added: “I don't know who was advising her, but for the Scottish Greens to drop their opposition shows you all you need to know about Scottish Greens.
“They're not strong, and they've sold out immediately. “
Mr Davey said Alistair Carmichael, LibDem MP for Orkney and Shetland, “wiped the floor” with Conservative ministers during a debate in the Commons last week on vaccine passports, after which health secretary Sajid Javid announced the UK Government would not be going ahead with the plans to bring in the certification scheme.
He added: “We were leading, again, the debate against Covid ID cards here in London, and they've u-turned, and I just wish Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP and the Scottish Greens, would listen to Alex [Cole-Hamilton].
“He's been brilliant on this issue, very much taking the taking the baton from Willie [Rennie].”
Asked about the reason behind a change at the top of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Mr Davey said there was a need for a “fresh face” but was vague when asked how the party’s new leader Mr Cole-Hamilton differed from his predecessor Willie Rennie.
He said: “Alex is a campaigning machine. He campaigned and spoke to more people than any other Liberal Democrat activist in the whole election - he goes out there and talks to people, is really in touch and I just think sometimes you need a fresh face.
“The fact he's focusing as needed on education and mental health shows that Liberal Democrats are consistent and will stand up for issues that people care about.”
He said that Mr Cole-Hamilton brings a “new hope” that Scottish politics may be able to “move past division” and added: “I think the new hope that Alex Cole-Hamilton brings is critical.
“What he's saying is that we need to put divisions behind us. I think people are fed up with the divisions, actually, and it's noticeable how few yes voters don't actually want a referendum now.”
READ MORE: Vaccine passport scheme for nightclubs and large events will 'not go ahead in England
Mr Davey said that during the latest Holyrood elections, his party “led the argument that we should put recovery first” and accused the SNP of “dishonourable tactics”.
He continued: “We campaigned hard on that and the SNP shifted in the campaign. And what alarmed me is that it looks like they've just shifted for electoral purposes because now they're shifting back again.
“I felt Liberal Democrats ran a strong campaign. The SNP played what I think are not really very honourable tactics. “
The MP also hit out at the SNP over education, saying the party were “betraying the children of Scotland” with its “shocking record on education” and were putting the pursuit of Scottish independence “above all else”.
He suggested that SNP MSPs should listen to his party’s two most senior figures, adding: “They should start listening to Willie and Alex, who are putting forward positive constructive policies.
“I'm afraid the Scottish Nationalist Party, the SNP, seem to put independence above everything else. “They take their eyes off the ball when it comes to education, when it comes to mental health and that's unforgivable.”
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