Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex-Cole Hamilton calls for cost of living support

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has called on the Scottish and UK governments to do more to support people with the rising cost of living.

The party is not holding a spring conference, blaming the spike in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.

Mr Cole-Hamilton instead used a visit to a science firm near Glasgow to demand extra help for households.

This would include a UK-wide VAT cut as well as extra funding for councils and increases to disability benefits.

The Lib Dems also want UK ministers to scrap planned changes to National Insurance Contributions, and for the Scottish government to reduce rail fares when it takes over ScotRail next month.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said governments in Edinburgh and London needed to "move urgently to help people with the hard-pressed budgets households are experiencing right now".