Labour and Lib Dems in talks about 'working together' on alternative to independence

A former chief of staff for the Liberal Democrats at Holyrood has said the party has held informal talks with Labour about working together.

Matthew Clark said Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie had held discussions with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar about offering a “credible” alternative to independence.

In an interview for the new edition of Holyrood, Clark said: “Anas Sarwar and Willie have talked together informally to try and say there’s a way forward in Scotland that doesn’t involve you either having to vote for independence or sticking with the Tories, and so in a sense that could be a strength going forward, that if the Lib Dems and Labour are working together to put that argument, then people will say there is a credible route now to this better way, this less destructive way than the Conservatives and SNP.”

Clark said there was an understanding the two parties had to work together to present “a decent bloc and decent argument that isn’t either Conservative or SNP”.

He added: “Willie and Anas get on well and are on the same page on that sort of thing.

“A social democratic society, a reformed UK, decent jobs and homes for people – that’s a decent political offer which might need the two parties that roughly support the same things to work together.”