Dundee councillor Fraser Macpherson has urged the new Liberal Democrat MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Willie Rennie, to stand for the Scottish party leadership.
Mr Macpherson, who leads the Lib Dem group on Dundee City Council, said he believed Mr Rennie was the “obvious choice” to take over following Tavish Scott’s resignation after the party’s representation was reduced to just five MSPs.
“I am saddened to learn that Tavish Scott has decided to step down as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats,” he said. “Tavish has been an excellent leader of the party and the bad, very bad, result on Thursday is not of his making. I’ve texted him to pass on my personal thanks to him for his service as party leader.”
He added, “There’s one other person I have sent a text to Willie Rennie, new MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife. I urged Willie to stand for the party leadership.”
Mr Macpherson said the election result had been “exceptionally disappointing.”
“I cannot pretend it was anything remotely like a half decent night for the Scottish Liberal Democrats,” he said. “But we’ll bounce back.”
Stepping down from his post on Saturday, Tavish Scott said his party had been “up against it” since the coalition between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives took power in Westminster last year.
Mr Scott said, “I have just no doubt that since last May we have been up against it because of the formation of a UK government where the Liberal Democrats were seen to be propping up the Conservatives and that’s, I think, in Scotland, a pretty disastrous and toxic mix in politics.
“It’s for the party now to decide how to move forward, and I think that’s best done with a new leader.”