Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will warn SNP ministers they will have to “move mountains” to persuade his party to support the budget.

Cole-Hamilton will say that while her party would try to find “common ground” with the Scottish Government over its tax and spending plans for next year, a change of administration at Holyrood is what “really” is. necessary.

With Scottish parliamentary elections due to take place in 2026, he will tell the Scottish Liberal Democrat party conference that they are “moving forward”.

Party supporters are meeting in Perth on Saturday, their conference coming after this summer’s general election which saw the Liberal Democrats win 72 seats across the UK, with two new Scottish MPs taking their number of MPs to six from north of the border.

Claiming that elections to the Scottish Parliament will be held “before we know it”, Cole-Hamilton will claim that “the country is taking us seriously again” following the outcome of the Westminster vote.

Addressing the conference, Cole-Hamilton will tell his supporters: “Make no mistake, we are on the rise and Scotland needs strong Liberal voices more than ever. »

He will say it is because “for many, life is becoming more difficult”, accusing SNP ministers of making “savage cuts to vital budgets because they have mismanaged our country’s finances for their entire mandate in government.

Taking on the Scottish Government, Cole-Hamilton will say: “Just this year they have slashed the housing budget in the middle of a housing emergency.

“Cut the mental health budget during a mental health crisis.

“And they cut the budget for drugs and alcohol while Scotland Drug mortality remains among the worst in the world.

“These decisions are harming the people of Scotland and the SNP has only itself to blame. »

The Scottish budget, due to be unveiled by Finance Secretary Shona Robison on December 4, could “make a difference to all of this”, he will add.

While the SNP’s minority government must find support from at least one other party to pass its budget at Holyrood, Cole-Hamilton will pledge: “In a minority Parliament we will always act like adults and seek consensus where we can.

“That’s why, every year, we engage in meaningful discussions with the government to try to find common ground and improve the lot of our communities in the pages of the budget.

If he will say he wants a government spending plan “that really works for the people we serve”, the liberal Democrat will add: “We are far from it and they will have to move mountains to convince us.

“Because we know how broken things are.

“We know the scale of the reform needed.

“And deep in our hearts, we know the one thing that will truly bring about the change that Scotland What we need is a change of government.

Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from across the country