Alex Cole-Hamilton announces Lib Dem leadership bid

Alex Cole-Hamilton has announced that he is putting himself forward to be the next leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Cole-Hamilton, the MSP for Edinburgh Western, released a short video on social media, saying his party needed to give the electorate "positive reasons to vote for us again".

He said: "That's why I'm putting my name forward as a candidate for the leadership of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

"We can deliver for the people of Scotland, and if you want to be part of that - come with me."

He added: "In 14 years in government, the SNP have not moved the needle on child poverty at all, and there's no prizes for guessing why.

"It's the job of government to tackle inequality, to make sure our hospitals are staffed and our schools are excellent. But so many people are worried about when they'll get that operation or how far behind their children have fallen in class.

"They just don't believe the SNP will give this stuff the attention it deserves. After everything we've been through, Scotland needs new hope right now."

Cole-Hamilton, a former charity worker, was largely expected to become the party's new leader following the decision by Willie Rennie to step down earlier this month.

Rennie had led the party for the past decade, but May's election saw the Lib Dems finish with just four MSPs at Holyrood.