Greene becomes economy spokesperson

Scottish Liberal Democrat have appointed Jamie Greene MSP as the party’s economy and finance spokesperson.

Mr Greene will also continue to serve as Deputy Convenor of the Public Audit Committee, the body which oversees how public money is spent.

Mr Greene said: “I am delighted to be taking up this important role at a crucial time when the Scottish economy is facing serious threats both domestically and internationally.

“The economy has never been at the forefront of the SNP’s attention in Scotland, and Labour seem to be parroting their bad decisions across the UK.

“As a result of this neglect, every Scot has lost out, from the working class communities that I represent on the west coast of Scotland to the towns, villages and islands of the north of Scotland.

“As a media entrepreneur from a working class background, I first got into politics because I believe in aspiration and opportunity. Good public services rely on a strong growing economy. I’ve quit the Scottish Conservatives, who make reckless unfunded promises, and joined a party that is fiscally responsible but compassionate and decent at heart,

“I want to speak to businesses both small and large about how we can kickstart economic growth and put Scotland at the forefront of industries like renewables, AI, defence and precision medicine.”

“Our young peoples deserve nothing less. I will put a laser focus on making sure they have a future here in Scotland.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: “I am delighted that Jamie has agreed to take up this post. He has a wealth of experience in Parliament and his can do and constructive attitude is how we get things done.

“His cross-party work on the Public Audit Committee has shown his commitment to holding the SNP to account on scandals like the ferry fiasco.

“One of the early areas on which we found common ground was our shared belief in the need to grow Scotland’s economy, in fostering entrepreneurship, and the importance of taking proper care of taxpayers’ money.

“You can only have great public services if you can afford to pay for them. The SNP have never had a proper plan for growing the economy and businesses have been mucked around.

“Scotland deserves better than SNP incompetence and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are on the up.”