Beatrice Wishart, the Lib Dem candidate for Shetland, is in Unst today kicking off her campaign to win the vacant Shetland seat in the Scottish Parliament. She was joined at Unstfest by former MSP Tavish Scott as they met local people and supported the vibrant community festival in the most northerly part of Shetland.

This time next week, Vince Cable will be the former leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Ballots close at 1pm on Monday 22nd July. That means you have six days to have your say on where our party goes next.

Later that day, either Ed Davey or Jo Swinson will be announced as our party's new leader. They're both fantastic candidates and either would make a fine leader for the Lib Dems going forward. You can find out more about their plans for our party here:

East Dunbartonshire MP Jo Swinson has accused SNP Transport Secretary Michael Matheson MSP of dodging responsibility on the Milngavie line after he once again refused to pursue the matter with her, saying he could "see little benefit in having a further meeting".

Matheson cancelled two previous meetings with Swinson to discuss urgent action on the line, including the option of re-dualling. When the meeting was subsequently rescheduled, Matheson failed to include any local MPs, choosing to meet only with local councillors.

It's been equal parts incredible, exhausting and humbling to be at the centre of a massive Lib Dem parliamentary by-election.

I'm honoured to join a select group of people who get the full national parliamentary by-election treatment, with the best of the best Lib Dem campaigners in the country fighting to get me elected.

Responding to new figures showing that there were 1,187 drugs deaths in Scotland in 2018, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"Scotland now has the worst drugs death crisis in the developed world.

"Scottish drugs policy has utterly failed. Here and across the UK, we need an immediate change of course.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have today announced Cllr Beatrice Wishart has been selected as the parliamentary candidate for Shetland.

Beatrice Wishart is the Depute Convener of Shetland Islands Council and represents the Lerwick South ward. She is a trustee of Women's Aid in Shetland and is an active WASPI campaigner. Over the last decade she has run the office of MP for Orkney & Shetland Alistair Carmichael and supported the work of former Shetland MSP Tavish Scott.

As I write this on Friday, I am about to set off for Brecon and Radnorshire, to help the brilliant Jane Dodds campaign in the by-election. It will be my third visit since the Recall petition first started. Make no bones about it, Jane is a brilliant candidate and our team there is outstanding, but we need more people to help over the next few weeks: we have a tough fight on our hands in a very rural seat. We need more people to help deliver leaflets, knock on doors and help with clerical work. Please, please, come and help. Postal votes land on doorsteps, and we need to call on postal voters this coming weekend, before many voters go on holiday.

After a time-warp 6 week campaign, an 18 hour polling day marathon and an incredible win on 26 May, the sixteen of us went to Brussels in June to take up our new positions as MEPs. You might have heard about the furore we caused!

The Liberal Democrat cohort are sworn in as MEPs. If you like our tshirts, you can get your own here

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today called for serious drug and sentencing reform to "rebuild the system from the ground up" after it was revealed 178 people in possession of drugs for personal use were imprisoned in 2017-18.

The figures, acquired through a parliamentary question, show that among 3,604 convictions for possession, without intent to supply, just 37 people were given drug treatment and testing orders (though some community payback orders may also include a drug treatment requirement).

World Population Day is an opportunity to put reproductive rights and issues of gender equality firmly on the global agenda. This year, period poverty must be front and centre of the conversation.

If the UK Conservative government are serious about eradicating period poverty by 2030 then they must use this opportunity to ensure ending period poverty is in the minds of every single world leader. The Conservative government have a duty to do all they can to end the injustice and stigma surrounding periods in the UK and across the globe.