Local SNP politicians hit out after reports Lib Dems in talks with Tories to stop SNP winning seats in snap general election

Once again, said the SNP politicians, the Liberal Democrats, despite previous protestations to the contrary, are happy to get into bed with the Tories to deny the Scottish people’s right to self-determination.

The Lib Dems have denied the national newspaper reports that the party has done a deal with the Tories to form a “Better Together-type” electoral pact to help stop the SNP winning Scottish seats at a snap general election.

According to the reports, Scottish Tory sources have said “informal talks” are ongoing with the Lib Dems.

Willie Rennie, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, insisted there was “no pact” between his party and the Conservatives - saying the Lib Dems are “opposed to Brexit and Boris Johnson and won’t be doing anything to support them”.

While Liberal Democrat Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael admitted the two parties did talk to each other but insisted no electoral deal had been agreed.

Gil Paterson MSP for Clydebank & Milngavie said: “It’s hard to take the Liberal Democrats seriously when they appear to side with anyone to avoid the prospect of the Scottish people making their own decisions, hardly democratic, hardly liberal.

He continued: “Jo Swinson seems to want it both ways the British people can decide whether they leave the European Union, but Scottish people cannot be allowed to decide whether they leave the United Kingdom. It is not a sustainable position for the Lib Dems and her assertion that she will be the next prime minister is delusional. The best she can aspire to is to prop up one of the larger parties and look where that took us the last time.

“It is a fact that the Lib Dems will say anything to gain a bit of political power and they don’t seem to mind if it contradictory, they have no self-awareness and are prepared to toy with the truth.

“An example of this duplicity is in their leader Jo Swinson’s record on Fracking. In Scotland you would be forgiven for thinking she was totally opposed to fracking but in fact she voted against a fracking moratorium UK wide and she has accepted political donations from the director of an energy company heavily involved with fracking in the north west of England.”

Gil added: “People will see through this manipulation and vote for what they believe in and the Scottish people will get a second referendum on independence whatever Jo Swinson says.”

Speaking to the Herald, Rona Mackay said: “If these rumours are true then it is just another example of the Liberals desperately trying to gain power by any means possible.

“How anyone could take them seriously as a credible political party is beyond me. I think they’ll find that people see through their blatant attempt to skew the vote and their cynical plan will not work.”