Alex Cole-Hamilton
Candidate for Edinburgh North Western
Alex Cole-Hamilton is the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and MSP for Edinburgh Western since 2016. With a background in children's rights and social care, Alex has consistently placed health and wellbeing at the heart of his political mission.
Before entering politics, Alex was a youth worker. This work involved supporting young people who found themselves in all manner of difficult situations, like helping children trafficked to Scotland and enslaved by drug gangs, or kids who had been let down by the care system, or babies who had been born addicted to drugs. One young boy Alex met had been through 37 failed placements before he was 8.
Alex's time as a youth worker has informed the defining mission of the party under his leadership: to make lives better, to protect the vulnerable, to stand up for those children, when no other party will.
That is why Alex got into politics in the first place.
As the party’s health spokesperson, Alex champions mental health reform, aiming to reduce waiting times and address post-pandemic challenges. He has led campaigns to protect HIV Scotland’s funding, promote first aid awareness, and support those with long COVID. He also advocates for improved GP and dental services in underserved areas and prioritizes children’s mental health and rights in healthcare.
During the pandemic, Alex decided to make 2,500 calls to constituents who he knew would be shielding, just to check they were ok. He joined a local charity and delivered 1,700 meals to people who were self-isolating. Alex found the host of volunteers coming together to help out their community inspiring.
Alex has been strong supporter of Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022, and has endeavoured to do whatever he can to root out the influence of Russian money in Scotland. For his efforts standing up for Ukraine, he was sanctioned by the Kremlin in 2022, which he wears as a badge of honour.
Alex and his family also hosted a Ukrainian refugee for 9 months. She told him of her own family’s sacrifice, on the front line, in the cities bombarded with drones and missiles. It underscored for him why the Ukrainian people need all the medical supplies and aid we can muster.
In April 2025, Alex took part in a convoy with other politicians to drive ambulances across land to the front lines in Ukraine, so that they can immediately begin to aid the Ukrainian war effort and save soldiers' lives.
Alex passionately believes in getting things done in politics, not opposition for opposition's sake. That is why under his leadership the Scottish Liberal Democrats have secured hundreds of millions from the Scottish Government for Liberal Democrat priorities, such as business rates relief, more funding for colleges and funding for services supporting children born addicted to drugs, something Alex encountered first as a youth worker.
Under Alex's leadership the Scottish Liberal Democrats have experienced a successful set of local elections in 2022 as well as trebling the number of Scottish Lib Dem Westminster seats in the 2024 General Election. He is looking forward to spending the upcoming Holyrood campaign doing what he loves most, getting out and speaking to real people about the things that matter to them.
For media enquiries: media@scotlibdems.org.uk