Alistair Carmichael predicts Lib Dems could be in Scottish Government by 2026

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scottish Lib Dem MP has predicted that his party could be in the Scottish Government after the next Holyrood election.Alistair Carmichael said the Lib Dems "would have an opportunity to have a role in government" if they return more than 15 seats in 2026.The Orkney and Shetland MP also said that UK Lib Dem leader Ed Davey "could be leader of the opposition" if things continue going badly for the Tories.The Lib Dems were in coalition with Labour in the first eight years of the Scottish Parliament.

In 1999 and 2003, the party won 17 seats, dropping one to 16 in 2007.But after the party entered the UK Government with the Tories in 2010 it plummeted to only five seats in the 2011 and 2016 elections.

The Lib Dems currently have four MSPs.Carmichael said: "If you were looking at a Liberal Democrat presence of that sort [15 seats] in the next parliament then yes, I think you would have an opportunity to have a role in government or very directly influencing government."Frankly, the Scottish Parliament and devolution have never worked better than it did with the first coalitions of 1997 and 2003 where we were the junior partners."He did not say the Lib Dems would definitely return to its earlier presence but expected them to gain some seats.He said: “We are a long way off the next Holyrood election, but with both the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives declining there is growing space for the Liberal Democrats."We take nothing for granted and we’ll be fighting all the way but if the polls continue as they are then every voter in Scotland will have a Liberal Democrat MSP representing their region in 2026.”A recent Holyrood poll put the SNP on 39 per cent, Labour on 30 per cent, the Tories on 14 per cent, the Lib Dems on seven