BANFFSHIRE and BUCHAN COAST Liberal Democrats

Commenting on the Scottish Government memo obtained by the Guardian which reveals that "it is almost certain" draft laws were secretly changed to secure the Queen's approval, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"These documents suggest that there has been meddling in the process even before government legislation was first shown to parliament.

Speaking after he attended the First Minister's summit on abortion rights alongside campaign groups including Back Off Scotland, BPAS and Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that government support for proposals for buffer zones around Scottish abortion clinics, "must be the base camp, not the summit of our ambition when it comes to protecting and expanding women's reproductive rights."

Responding to today's Scottish Government statement on MAT Standards, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"Buried in this dry and technical statement is the shocking admission that MAT standard 1 has only been fully implemented in one out of Scotland's 32 Alcohol and Drug Partnerships.

Responding to comments from Ian Livingstone, Chief Constable of Police Scotland, in which he warned that Scottish Government spending plans could lead to fewer officers on the street, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said:

"It's interesting to compare the spending commitments of Scottish nationalists now with their pre-election pledge to protect the police resource budget.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have today revealed that in its first two months the newly nationalised ScotRail franchise paid out more than £100,000 in delay repay payments.

Across April and May 2022, 7,770 claims were paid out totalling £107,439.49.

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Jill Reilly said: