Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has said his party could favour an “alliance” with the Tories on Edinburgh council.
The MSP made clear he would be open to a partnership if the Conservatives laid aside their “unhelpful” views on transport and environment issues.
He also said the Lib Dems would not ban deals with the SNP in local councils, although he insisted they would not prop up “failing” Nationalist administrations in the Capital and Glasgow.
An SNP spokesperson said: “Alex Cole-Hamilton must be the only politician in the country who looks at the Conservative Party - with its law-breaking leader and complete lack of action on the cost of living crisis - and thinks: Yes, there’s a party I can join forces with.
“People in Scotland have neither forgotten nor forgiven the Lib Dems for playing handmaiden to Tory austerity, their brutal cuts to social security and their broken promises on tuition fees. After they slumped to a last-place finish in last year's election, Alex Cole-Hamilton now seems determined to lead his party to complete extinction."
Voters will go to the polls next month to elect councillors for 32 local authorities across Scotland.
National issues have dominated the campaign and parties have been quick to set out their red lines.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has rejected coalitions with the SNP and the Tories while the Greens will not share power with the Conservatives.
Speaking to the Record, Cole-Hamilton said he trusted Lib Dem council group leaders to make power-sharing decisions: "We are quite unique in the Scottish political landscape, in the sense that in our party the Scottish leader does not tell council group leaders what to do. We believe firmly in devolution of power.
"We don’t regard local authority elections in the same way that we would regard elections to the Scottish Parliament.
"These are local issues at stake. It’s about how do we best solve the problems that affect local communities?”
“If we can find partners that can share enough common ground with us on that, then we won’t turn our faces against that. Independence is not on the ballot paper here.”
“I can quite categorically rule out any coalition between the Lib Dems and the SNP, for example, at a national level. But it’s up to my group leaders and I trust them to make the right decisions for their communities.”
Asked if he would be relaxed about local Lib Dem leaders backing deals with the SNP, he said: “I would be relaxed if they could make the case to me as to why that would be the best outcome for their communities.”
However, it was his thoughts on the race in Edinburgh that could raise eyebrows.
The city has had an SNP/Labour coalition since 2017 and Cole Hamilton made clear the Lib Dems would not help the Nationalists at all: "There is no chance we would be propping up failing administrations, by which I mean look at Glasgow, look at Edinburgh, SNP-led administrations. There is no way we would keep those parties in power to continue their record of failure.”
On whether he would close the door as firmly on a Tory deal in Edinburgh, he said “no”.
He added: “The Tories are not in administration in the city of Edinburgh council. If we can lay aside some of their, I think, more vehement and unhelpful views around the environment and transport, things like that, then if we can find enough common ground, and my group leaders felt compelled to forge such an alliance then, you know, I would support that. I would be in favour of that.”
He said: “It’s clear that Edinburgh residents are not happy with the current administration. I think the SNP in particular have taken the city for granted.”
If such a deal materialised, the Tories would be in power locally in Edinburgh for the first time in decades.
However, Cole-Hamilton’s view could run the risk for him of reminding voters about the coalition his party entered into with the Tories at Westminster in 2010.
The deal led to the loss of dozens of Lib Dem parliamentarians, including at Holyrood and in the House of Commons.
Launching the party’s manifesto, Cole-Hamilton unveiled a range of policies, including a cost-of-living rescue package which proposes a VAT cut worth £600 to every household.
The manifesto also includes introducing hundreds more counsellors in schools and the protection of local council budgets.
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