Clegg "breath of fresh air" - McInnes

12.00.00am GMT Tue 15th Jan 2008

North East Liberal Democrat MSP Alison McInnes hailed new federal party boss Nick Clegg during his visit to Scotland.

40 year-old Clegg reaffirmed the Liberal Democrat commitment to further devolution, describing the UK government's refusal to relinquish further powers as "feeding the beast of separatism."

After their meeting, McInnes said "Nick Clegg's comments underline the common sense of Liberal Democrat policies when it comes to how Scotland is governed."

She continued, "While Salmond revels in his stand-off with Westminster, the Liberal Democrats provide the only alternative to the all-or-nothing politics of the Labour-Tory consensus. In this polarised atmosphere, Nick Clegg is a breath of fresh air."

The Liberal Democrats favour the devolution of a range of additional powers from Westminster to Holyrood, based on the report of the Steel Commission of 2006, available at http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/files/steelcommission.pdf