The Scottish Liberal Democrats have challenged the Scottish Greens ahead of the referendum vote at Holyrood next week. Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton has asked the Scottish Greens why their three criteria for calling a referendum have been abandoned.

Mr Cole-Hamilton has asked Green party leader Patrick Harvie why the party has turned its attention away from public service reform, back-tracked on its requirement that opinion polls should indicate support for a new referendum, and scrapped its requirement that a million-strong petition should be the trigger.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“The Scottish Greens had three criteria to allow a referendum from their manifesto. None has been met.

“The Greens have no mandate for a referendum. They should respect that and decline to vote for a referendum at Holyrood next Wednesday.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats had a manifesto commitment against a referendum and we will stick to that.

“With education performance slipping, the mental health strategy abandoned and the economy sluggish, Scotland needs its Parliament working on these issues instead of a referendum.”