Wallace attacks Labour memo

Wallace attacks Labour memo

Mr Wallace denied being soft on crime

Jim Wallace has attacked Labour over a leaked memo which claimed his Scottish Liberal Democrats cannot be trusted to make "the hard choices needed in government".

The Deputy First Minister joined Nationalists in condemning his coalition partners for "negative campaigning" ahead of the 1 May Holyrood elections.

Mr Wallace denied the document's claim that the Lib Dems were "soft on crime", while speaking on BBC Radio Scotland.

"The fact that I've presided over the biggest number ever of police officers in Scotland and the highest detection rates since the Second World War, I think gives lie to that kind of allegation," he told Good Morning Scotland.

"I'm disappointed that so far ahead of the election that they've resorted to negative campaigning."

Labour 'nervous'

On claims his party cannot be trusted, he said "the proof of the pudding's in the eating," claiming that the memo showed a "certain nervousness" within Labour over how well the Lib Dems could do.

He added: "If you look at our record you can see why Labour might be nervous, because when people say 'what are the things that have made a difference in this parliament', plus, for example the abolition of tuition fees or the introduction of free personal care, these wouldn't have happened without Liberal Democrats in government."

Labour has defended the internal strategy paper, after it was published in a Sunday newspaper.

The memo advises candidates: "The Lib Dems are opportunistic.

So much for Labour's promise to avoid negative campaigning

Nicola Sturgeon
SNP

"They cannot be trusted to make the hard choices that are needed in government.

"They are soft on drugs and soft on crime."

It also claims the Liberals "say one thing and do another and will say anything to get elected".

A Labour spokeswoman said: "There has never been any question of Scottish Labour not taking the election to the Liberal Democrats as there is no doubt they will take the campaign to us."

While a Lib Dem spokesman sought to play down the significance of the memo, Scottish National Party election co-ordinator Nicola Sturgeon condemned the development.

'Lashing out'

"So much for Labour's promise to avoid negative campaigning," she said.

"The election is too close to call and with just weeks to go they've reverted to type and started by lashing out.

"For four years the Lib Dems have propped up a Labour coalition that has failed to deliver on NHS waiting lists, the economy, crime and on class sizes.

"Now the politicians responsible for this appalling record have started blaming each other for the mess they have made."