Lib Dems' finance expert Jeremy Purvis set to pen party's Holyrood manifesto

Published on 06/09/2010 18:06

THE election manifesto that the Liberal Democrats will use to fight next year's Holyrood election is to be written by the party's finance spokesman, The Scotsman can reveal.

Jeremy Purvis has been handed the task of drawing up the policies his party will use in the Scottish Parliamentary poll, following a decision made by MSPs at an away day in Newtongrange, Midlothian, yesterday.

Previous Lib Dem manifestos have been authored by a team of senior party figures and this will be the first time the policy document will be written solely by a single MSP, in a move similar to the approach of the UK Labour Party - whose general election manifesto was written by Ed Miliband.

Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott said Mr Purvis was the "right choice" for the job.

He said: "He's well liked by colleagues and has a proven track record with his great work on the budget last year.

"I'm confident that he'll approach this new challenge with the same energy and radical thinking that he brings to his two current roles as a Borders MSP and finance spokesman."

Mr Purvis said: "The challenge is presenting the policies that will shape the next decade in Scotland.

"With the Lib Dems driving the reform agenda for more powers for the Scottish Parliament and with the SNP Government all but running out of steam, the opportunities for the Scottish Liberal Democrats are exciting.

"Liberal Democrats have a proud record of setting policies and I'm really looking forward to coordinating some already very exciting policy proposals."