Scottish Liberal Democrats unveil leading regional list candidates for 2021

LibDem leader Willie Rennie is out looking support already for the election in May.

By Bill Heaney

Lib Dems unveil checklist for a federal future

The Scottish Liberal Democrat virtual conference has today restated its opposition to another independence referendum and backed plans for a federal UK including:

A new constitution for the United Kingdom
Reform of the Westminster voting system to Single Transferable Vote to make sure the outcome of elections more closely reflects the views of the voters;
Reform of the House of Lords to a democratic basis with strong voices for the nations and regions;
A dispute resolution process to help the four UK administrations work together more effectively in a federal UK.
Changing the voting system for the Scottish Parliament to single transferable vote to remove the existing two-tier nature of regional and constituency MSPs;
Scottish Liberal Democrats continuing to offer voters the opportunity at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election to reject a further divisive independence referendum and to endorse the transformation of the United Kingdom to a federal union.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have unveiled their leading list candidates for the Scottish Parliament elections next year, including a gender balance in the top spots.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “We have a diverse and talented group of candidates seeking election in 2021.

“Liberal Democrats fight fiercely for their local communities and strong local services. Our parliamentarians have a strong record of standing up for our communities and focusing on what really matters to them, including education, mental health and green jobs. I am confident these candidates will pick up that mantle.

“This is a really exciting and important election. It’s a chance to push for recovery through partnership. Our candidates will be focused on supporting people and businesses out of this crisis and putting the future of the planet centre stage.”

A list of the leading candidates by region can be found below:

Highlands and Islands