Rishi Sunak to blame for postal ballot chaos, according to Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton who says it shows ‘the Conservative Party in abject disarray’
For the failure to deliver postal ballots to voters across the Highlands “the only place you can lay the blame for this is at the feet of Rishi Sunak” according to Scottish Liberal Democrat leader.
Alex Cole-Hamilton was visiting Inverness as he was campaigning for the party’s two Highland candidates – Jamie Stone and Angus MacDonald – when he made the comments.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said that “ultimately” the Prime Minister was to blame for calling a snap election leaving local returning officers – usually the chief executive of the local council – little time to make the necessary arrangements.
For the Lib Dems that just shows that “it is, again, further signs of the Conservative Party in abject disarray,” he added: “The country is on its knees. We don't just need change in London, we need it in Edinburgh as well”.
“I think it speaks volumes that Highland Council have had to take some action, officials are doing their best but this caught everyone by surprise,” he said.
“This election, I think, even took the Conservative Party by surprise and yet I don't think we can blame council officials. They're doing the best they can in the circumstances they've been given. So I welcome news that they're opening offices for people to come in and fill in the ballot on site.
“We did call for the extension or the emergency extension of registration for emergency proxy votes – because there's lots of people going on holiday – but ultimately I think the only place you can lay the blame for this is at the feet of Rishi Sunak.
“It is, again, further signs of the Conservative Party in abject disarray, I think he's clearly had enough, he has thrown in the towel before the start of this election and, my goodness, we do need to see the back of it. We need change.
“The country is on its knees. We don't just need change in London, we need it in Edinburgh as well because for the 14 years of mismanagement by the Conservative Party, that's a bit large in the 17 years of mismanagement by the SNP.”
