The UK should use the King’s state visit to the US as “leverage to bring Donald Trump to his senses”, Alex Cole-Hamilton has said.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader was speaking at an election campaign event in Edinburgh on Thursday, during which he had his hair cut.
Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Cole-Hamilton described the US president as a “gangster”, and said political leaders in the UK need to stand up to him.
“I think we need to take a leaf out of Mark Carney’s book, another Liberal leader – but this time a liberal Prime Minister in Canada, who managed to face down very successfully the threat of Donald Trump,” he said.
“He (Trump) responds to strong leadership. I just don’t think we’ve seen that, either from Keir Starmer or from others, and we need more of it.”
Pressed on what this might look like in practice, he said the UK should be using the leverage it has with the US president.
“I think that we could stand up to Donald Trump by withdrawing things that he wants, like, for example, the King’s state visit to America,” Mr Cole-Hamilton said.
“That’s the sort of leverage that we have right now, and I don’t think it would be fair to put His Majesty in that position, and we should use that leverage to bring Donald Trump to his senses.”
He was speaking on the same day as the SNP unveiled its election manifesto ahead of the vote on May 7.
Asked whether he can envisage a coalition of pro-UK parties to keep the SNP out of power, Mr Cole-Hamilton appeared to rule this out.
“I think it’s possible to unseat the SNP, but it doesn’t mean any kind of coalition, certainly with Reform or the Conservatives – they’re part of the problem,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, change is possible.
“Liberal Democrats are excited about making a big advance at this election, and for every Lib Dem elected, you’ll get that promise of change with fairness at its heart, support for small businesses by reforming business rates, extending relief to families, whether that’s £400 extra for unpaid carers, driving down fuel bills by insulating cold Scottish homes, and reducing fuel duty by 12p per litre.”
He also said he does not “buy” Malcolm Offord’s recent claim that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had approached the Reform Scotland leader about a possible deal.
“I don’t really buy it, frankly,” Mr Cole-Hamilton said.
“Malcolm Offord and his politics are alien to me, and I know they’re alien to Labour as well.
“Anas and I have discussed many times our loathing for Reform’s style of politics, and people don’t need to settle for that.”
