Wallace resigns as Scottish Lib Dem leader
Jim Wallace, Scottish Deputy First Minister and leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has resigned.
Mr Wallace, MSP for Orkney, has been the Deputy First Minister since 1999.
He said that he had been considering his position for some time, and now was the right time to make way.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland Mr Wallace said: “We had tremendous election results on Thursday night and I felt the right time to hand over to a successor”.
Mr Wallace added: “I’d rather go now and I can go knowing that I’m handing on a party that is in good form. It’s confident and it’s clearly moving forward”.
Under the coalition agreement between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, the new Lib Dem leader will automatically become Deputy First Minister.
Mr Wallace will stand down from his position when a successor has been elected this summer and will leave the Scottish Parliament at the next elections in 2007.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy paid tribute to Mr Wallace, saying that his leadership had “transformed” the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Mr Kennedy said: “I congratulate Jim Wallace on an exceptional thirteen years of party leadership in Scotland. That period has seen both the transformation of our party’s fortunes and the recasting of Scottish politics itself. Over 60 per cent of Scots who voted, voted for the coalition partners.
“This election was the Liberal Democrats’ best ever result in Scotland. Jim has been a central player in all of this and I wish him all the best for the future.”
